Chains of the Eclipse
by Amenson
Summary: First installment in the Trilogy of Chains: A passing meteor threatens the return of Trigon and a new era of darkness, but the price to prevent this from happening may be too costly. Rated M for descriptive torture, demonic possession, bouts of insanity, sexual situations, and death. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Chains of the Eclipse**

**Author: ****Amenson**

**Pre-Story Warning: ****This story is rated 'M' for good reason. It will contain torture, demonic possession, death, bouts of insanity, and sexual situations. Not lemons, later chapters will contain rape and other, so there will be no pleasure or meaning to it. I'm feeling dark and by Amenson, this will reflect that. Warning given and received.**

**Chapter I: Bad Dreams**

_**(Set almost 4 years after the events of 'The End')**_

"_My Lord! The time is fast approaching and your brilliant plan is nearly complete. I would know if my actions please you, master." Two pairs of blood-red eyes suspended in the air gazed from above at the old man before him and deep rumbling laughter was heard that shook the entire cavern._

Raven awoke in a cold sweat and a terrified look in her eyes. After having a moment to regain her senses, she tried to shake the nightmare that she had been experiencing for the last week. For as long as she could remember, dreams had been fleeting at best and instantly forgotten once aware of her surroundings. It had been very unnerving for the girl to experience the same dream more than once, let alone for several nights. The fact that she couldn't remember the most important details was the worst part, though one the one thing that was constant and vivid throughout the dream was pure and unhindered terror.

She slowly rose and made her daily pilgrimage to the common room for breakfast and was greeted be the equally grim faces of her teammates gathered by the couch in the middle of the room. She decided to forgo her tea and join her friends, who were all staring intently at her, hoping to hear some kind of answer for what had been happening for the last week.

Robin stood up to greet her. "Have you been having nightmares for a while, Raven?" She nodded and she saw her friends lowering their heads in disbelief and fear. "Then it's everyone. We are all having the same dream and have been for a while. Do you have any idea what it is?"

Raven nodded once more. "From what little I remember of the dream, Trigon had something planned to happen soon. The only conclusion I can draw is that he has found a way back into our world."

The response was met with horrified faces and for good reason. The first time that Trigon entered their world, the end of all things came to pass. It was only through hard work and luck that Armageddon was averted. "But we kicked his ass! I thought he was gone for good!"

"We may have kicked his ass, Beastboy, but my father is a being of pure evil. We sent him back to Hell and there shouldn't be any way back, but the barrier between worlds is thinning. Something has changed over the last two weeks that is making this happen and I can't explain it. Has anyone noticed something new?"

The Titans furrowed their brows in deep thought. Robin was the first to speak up. "Brother Blood broke out of prison last month, but the supernatural isn't really his style." Brother Blood wasn't the only villain that he had been tracking the movements on, but the former headmaster was the only one who completely dropped off the grid; something that never bodes well.

Cyborg spoke next. "Some former members of the Hive Academy have gone missing for three days now and Jinx and Bumblebee are among them. I just thought I should mention it." Two of his love interests had completely dropped off the grid and he had spent the last two days looking at files and following up leads. Unfortunately, they all left without a struggle or any sign of where they went.

"During my return from my homeplanet Tamaran in the last week, I was warned of a dark rock that was traveling into this system. I investigated it myself, but there was no threat. The rock will not come close enough to this planet to cause any problems. Other than that, my rear is perished." The confident redhead had recently traveled back to her planet to witness the joining of her K'norfka and one of the more distinguished female warriors of their species. Since he was still the Supreme Ruler of Tamaran, his marriage was a truly magnificent event that took the better part of a week to celebrate completely.

Beastboy scratched his head, clearly thinking hard. "I was out at the arcade yesterday, and um… the power went out."

Raven shot a menacing glare at the green hero and he immediately flinched. "If you don't have anything useful, don't open your mouth."

"Actually, BB may have a point." Cyborg cut in. "I know the place he's talking about and they're right next to a generator. If the arcade lost power, than something nearby could be draining electricity."

Just as Raven prepared an appropriate comeback, Robin interjected "We need to find out if any of this is connected and how to stop it." They all separated to find out any more about the dream they were all having.

**(Scene Break)**

Brother Blood was going over the final schematics for his latest device. He had been stewing over this for years and it took just as long to break out of prison. Maybe breaking out of prison was irrelevant because there was no breaking involved, the prison guards let him out voluntarily; to use the term loosely. His cybernetic implants may have been shattered, but his latent psychic abilities didn't need any computer programs to conduct basic hypnotic suggestions. It just took a very long time for one of the newer guards to slip up and afford him an opportunity.

Sebastian Blood the 9th gained his title by slaying his own father, who was the leader of an ancient demon-worshiping cult. The latest Blood had strayed from his family's' destiny to lead this cult and spent his time and resources building up a network of young and impressionable super powered followers. This particular direction had been fairly productive and beneficial right up until the introduction of Cyborg, the only person who had been able to stand up to his powers. He had been humiliated and defeated by the same man over and over, and by the last fight atop Titans East Tower, Brother Blood gave up entirely. He was truly lost and spent his time in prison with no light in his eyes.

The twisted man had truly hit rock bottom when he was contacted by the subject of his own father's devotions. The lord of terror reached out to his forsaken minion in his moment of despair and instilled the seed of purpose. Without any other reason to live, Sebastian grabbed and embraced the new lifestyle that was being offered to him, and now the plans that took years to conceive and implement were about to be culminated.

He gazed on the massive building below him and marveled at the scenery that came with it. He had set up a large summoning chamber in the main section of Jump City. The best thing about the highly populated location was that nobody asked questions when big burly men carried equipment into a building. It was the best of both worlds, too. The spot that was chosen to be His resurrection was very close to a power generator, which was needed for an extra boost. Traditional spiritual and supernatural artifacts and rituals did have their uses, and a massive summoning on this scale was going to be risky, but scientific advances had definitely put a different spin on the older ceremonies.

Brother Blood walked into the summoning chamber which was now undergoing the final preparations. He looked at the people working hard to put everything in place and smiled. His former students were hard at work patching the place together; Jinx was placing wires into the appropriate slots; Reaper wielded a protective mask and used his pyrotechnical powers to weld a structure in the center of the room shut; Kyd Wykkyd was using his powers to move a large power converter into position; Lazarus was repainting the lines of the summoning circle filling the chamber; and Bumblebee was furiously typing at a terminal; all of whom wore subservient red eyes. Brother Blood found it incredibly easy to convince his students to join his cause, previous recipients of his hypnosis were always vulnerable to brain-washing and this instance was no exception. He felt very pleased that the plan was advancing according to schedule, but there was one more ingredient to obtain.

His master had commanded him to kidnap a girl whose 16th birthday was to be on the day of the resurrection. This girl would be his vessel upon his re-entry into this world, and her age would allow Trigon to easily overwhelm and corrupt the girl a sufficient amount for her to become a new portal. The only other requirement was that she had to be a virgin. Brother Blood was disappointed when he heard this; he would have taken great pleasure in deflowering her. He would just have to settle for either Jinx or Bumblebee to satiate his urges; his hypnotized subjects were very useful in that aspect.

**(Scene Break)**

It had been a day since the Titans had begun to investigate the strange disappearances and spatial objects and they were much closer to connecting all of the dots. Cyborg used the Titan mainframe in co-operation with a network of telescopes to estimate and plot the trajectory of the rogue meteor. Upon further inspection of the asteroid, he discovered that it was no natural phenomenon.

Cyborg placed a picture of the meteor on the table in front of him and the sight of it made the Titans gasp. It was a perfect sphere and the aura it gave off was disturbing to say the least. Thermal images showed that it radiated an unnatural amount of heat even though it was hurtling through the dead of space. "The trajectory shows that it originated from Earth, approximately 4 years ago and has been traveling in a wide circle ever since."

"I remember Trigon being a dude with a really big ego. He thought he could never be defeated and thought of us as insects. He doesn't seem the type to make a back-up plan."

"It may not have fucking crossed your mind Beastboy, but there are people smarter than you." Raven snapped. "Trigon's mind is devious and all-encompassing and obviously he considered the possibility of defeat."

Robin slammed his hand on the table. "Raven! You aren't helping anyone like this, so shut it! Now Cyborg, if this path is correct…" He closely examined the sheet. "Will it will hit us?"

Cyborg shook his head. "The closest planet it will pass is Venus and that holds no threat for us. If Trigon wanted to come back, why would he send out a meteor only to miss by thousands of miles?"

"What is the exact path that it will take through our system?" Raven asked. She took a moment to scan the red line crossing through a graphical representation of our solar system and pointed to the exact point between Earth and the Sun. "He's going to make an eclipse. He will use the meteor to cast a shadow on a location on our planet and it's entirely possible to use that to break into our world."

Beastboy lifted his finger to raise a point, but stopped half-way through when he lost the thought. "How exactly does that work again?"

Raven rolled her eyes and clenched her fists uttering a silent curse. "Demonic powers thrive in darkness. It takes energy to create shadows that can envelope and engulf objects. In the darkness, Demons need only to manipulate the shadows already present, freeing up more energy to create more forceful attacks. The meteor will cast a total eclipse over a location for a short time, allowing Trigon's essence to seep through into our world, If only partially."

Cyborg leaned forward a bit. "Doesn't that mean it works at night too?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the moon and stars come out at night, shedding light on the dark side of Earth. Anyways, Trigon imbued this meteor with his malice and rage, amplifying the darkness it casts. For what it's worth, it's a brilliant plan."

"No matter how elaborate a villain's scheme is, we just need to focus on how to stop it." Robin stood up in a commanding manner and pointed to Jump City. "We have an obligation to save our city once again from Trigon's evil. We will have a higher chance of survival if we prevent the seed from ever being planted in the first place, so I need everyone to find out where and when this is going down. Titans! Move out!" Robin and Cyborg quickly left to find out more about what was happening, leaving Beastboy, Raven, and Starfire sitting down.

"Forgive me friends, but why did we all have the same dream? No one else I have spoken to knows anything about it."Starfire had a distressed look in her eyes as she clearly didn't know what to expect.

Raven folded her arms. "Since we were the only survivors of the last Armageddon, we still have a psychic connection with Trigon. When we defeated him, he lost a considerable amount of his power and it has taken a very long time to regain his strength, which is why we never noticed his powers before. Now that we are close to the eve of his return, we have been able to see a small portion of what's been happening. Now don't disturb me. I'm going to meditate"

As Raven left the room, Starfire put a reassuring hand on Beastboy. "Do not worry friend. I am sure that Raven meant no harm."

"Oh, she meant it. She always means it." Beastboy moped. His ears drooped because the last week had been tough on everyone.

**(Scene Break)**

Lily left school that day in a very good mood. She had gotten 93% in her midterms and was asked out by the captain of the soccer team in the same day. The one thing that would top everything was her sweet 16 that everyone in her grade was invited to. Tomorrow was going to mark the first day of the rest of her life.

She took the route from school that she had walked down a hundred times before with a slight skip in her step when she accidentally bumped into an old man. She picked herself up and dusted off her skirt. "Sorry, sir. I didn't see you there!" She reached down to help the man off the ground and after a brief flash of red where his eye should have been, she was knocked unconscious and placed into the back of a van that just pulled up beside her. Brother Blood smirked; he missed a good old-fashioned kidnapping.

**(Scene Break)**

Raven and Cyborg were working in the situation room in the basement of Titan Tower trying to rig up an updated version of Jump City onto the holo-simulator installed in a table. They finished hooking up the last of the wires when Robin walked in. "Raven, we need to speak in private. Now." They both walked towards the corner and stopped.

"What's going on?" She asked in her familiar monotone.

"You know the answer to that! Beastboy didn't deserve any of that, so why did you snap at him?"

"Oh, so you're fighting his battles for him. How very noble of you"

"Damn it Raven! Someone needs to tell you that you're out of line and Beastboy is never going to say anything against you. The last thing he needs is a battle where he can't fight back so calm down and keep your emotions in check!" Robin yelled. He panted heavily, clearly exhausted by the tirade and noticed the subtle looks that Cyborg was giving the both of them.

Raven had a shocked look in her eyes as it was a very rare occurrance to get such a heated argument from their cool and collected leader. She pulled her cloak over her shoulders and spoke. "I haven't been able to meditate without seeing the face of my father, and Rage has been straining to get free." Robin raised an eyebrow. "Not important. I've been on edge and I'm sorry."

Robin gritted his teeth. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Cyborg interrupted the both of them and called Starfire and Beastboy to the room. Raven looked over to Beastboy, only to find that he was intent on avoiding her gaze. Once they were all present, Cyborg laid out a diagram.

"I've determined that the eclipse will take place tomorrow at about noon and the shadow will be cast along this section of the city." The holographic representation of Jump City had a horizontal black line streak across it. A circular section of the city flashed red twice and grew in size to accommodate the entire projector. "Now I've narrowed the location to a 25-block radius, but I can't get any more specific than that. It could be any one of these buildings."

"How are we to search all of these buildings by tomorrow? There are too many!" Starfire protested.

"What if we don't have to?" Everyone in the room stared at Beastboy. "If this thing is happening tomorrow, won't it use lots of power to start things up?"

Cyborg wiped a fake tear away from his human eye. "My little boy is all grown up!" He ruffled Beastboy's hair with his big hands. "We can wait until they start up whatever they have in there, track it, and then swoop down to save the world at the last minute. It's perfect!" Beastboy clearly looked pleased with himself and it was at this point that his eyes were locked with Raven's. The smile on his face remained, but the humor in his eyes rapidly departed.

"Then we wait until tomorrow and stop this before it starts!" Robin declared and the Titans left to make some final preparations.

Just as Beastboy got up to leave the room, Raven called out to him. "Beastboy, I..." He didn't stop to hear her plea and the door closed behind him, leaving Raven standing with her arm slightly raised and a storm cloud over her head so large it could be mistaken for a monsoon.

The next day, the sun rose over the glimmering ocean next to Jump City and its citizens went about their business completely unaware of the hell that was about to be unleashed upon them. The trees in the park were completely devoid of birds and dog-owners discovered that their dogs were being particularly uncooperative. Beastboy woke up that day feeling extremely anxious, though he didn't know exactly why. The dream had returned and this time, a sense of helplessness was instilled in him. Beastboy had never been comfortable with being prey to others. Trigon, it seemed, wanted to hunt him down personally for his involvement in the demon's banishment. He also felt a morsel of regret for walking out when Raven wanted to talk to him, but a small voice told him it was what she deserved.

To Be Continued

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**Amenson out**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II: The Old Switcheroo**

**Previously: **_"The next day, the sun rose over the glimmering ocean next to Jump City and its citizens went about their business completely unaware of the hell that was about to be unleashed upon them. The trees in the park were completely devoid of birds and dog-owners discovered that their dogs were being particularly uncooperative. Beastboy woke up that day feeling extremely anxious, though he didn't know exactly why. The dream had returned and this time, a sense of helplessness was instilled in him. Beastboy had never been comfortable with being prey to others. Trigon, it seemed, wanted to hunt him down personally for his involvement in the demon's banishment. He also felt a morsel of regret for walking out when Raven wanted to talk to him, but a small voice told him it was what she deserved."_

**Just a warning, the italic section below contains descriptive torture, so those who don't sit well through it please skip it. There won't be much that you're missing story-wise. There is also a choice that you can help influence in the notes below. Enjoy.**

The meteor hurtled through space on the final leg of its journey and every plane of existence shook in fear and anticipation of what that day could bring. The dead quivered in their graves for even death could not save them from Trigon's wrath. The souls residing in Purgatory and Heaven felt restless as the balance of the universe began to tilt ever so slightly towards darkness. Even the minions of Hell were terrified of what would happen if one of the ruling forces of the Nine Circles were to depart and how the resulting order would descend into chaos.

On Earth, it had taken many days of work to create the chamber before him, as the measurements had to be precise. The circumference was a perfect circle and the foot-thick titanium walls lining it arched up, making the inside a half-sphere. Trigon had also instructed that there were to be storage devices on all of the sides; to be used to store the souls of 5 magically-oriented sacrifices. These souls would be the catalyst to punch through the veil and allow the inside a direct passage to Hell.

The chamber itself was designed to be totally removed from all outside interference; the walls were lined with lead that stopped all emissions from entering the chamber and there was a 3-inch air-tight gap surrounding it, effectively removing the transfer of heat and sound through it. A nuclear bomb could have been detonated right in front of it and the occupant wouldn't have felt a tremor. The only connection to the outside world was through a small glass window mounted on the door in and out of the chamber, but the door was equally thick, if not stronger than the walls surrounding it. The door was also magnetically sealed shut- controlled by a 14 digit combination on the console beside it. The design however, wasn't to prevent the world getting in; it was to stop Hell from coming out.

Trigon had learned from his last encounter with humanity, and his plan was to ensure that nothing would stop him from conquering the universe again. The idea had been ingenious in itself; never before had a demon been able to pull himself from banishment. To overcome the power that restrained him in the Ninth Circle of Hell, Trigon had to use every ounce of his cunning and pull every thread that he could. He used a combination of ancient magicks as well as a meteor which he had the foresight to send so far away that it would be unaffected if his rule were to be interrupted.

The meteor was designed to return to Earth, and Trigon would use that would allow him a momentary window into Earth where he would plant the seed of corruption into the 16-year-old trapped within the chamber. The connection would then break, and his new portal would be able to mature in the unaffected world, and after a month of 'ripening', the portal would be able to allow Trigon to enter this world once more and bring about a new era of darkness. This particular back-up plan was clearly worth it and he was going to make sure that this time, it would work. This attempt would be the last that he could make and he would fight tooth and nail to keep his power strong.

When the red numbers on the clock reached '15:00', Brother Blood smiled. "Bumblebee! Open the roof! Students, get into position!" He commanded. Bumblebee immediately complied with her master's wishes and pulled a lever that caused the shutters on the sun roof to retract. Reaper, Lazarus, Jinx, and Kyd Wykkyd quickly walked to the metal plates that were located at the points of the large pentagram lining the floor. When Bumblebee completed her task, she walked to the last unoccupied space and they all turned to face the chamber located in the center. Seeing that his pawns were in place, be pushed a button on the console before him that activated an electrical beam that lunged out from the chamber and enveloped the five waiting students. He then flipped a lever that visibly changed the direction of the energy flow towards the chamber.

The energy beam connected to the students changed color to match their magical powers: Bumblebee had a yellow beam; Jinx had purple; Kyd Wykkyd had blue; Reaper had red; and Lazarus had green. When the colored energy beams merged at the middle, it created a dark energy vortex that merged with a lightning-rod type structure at the top of the chamber, causing the energy-storage containers surrounding the chamber to slowly charge up.

**(Scene Break)**

The Titans were dispatched separately to search the city for any sign of Brother Blood or anything that looked demonic. Starfire, Raven, and Beastboy took to the skies while Cyborg and Robin drove through the streets in the T-Car.

While pouring over the Jump City power-grid to find anomalies, Robin looked extremely anxious and had visible beads of sweat on his forehead. "The eclipse is in 15 minutes! Why do we still have nothing?"

"Chill out, man. It's gonna happen very soon!" Just as he said that, a blinking red light appeared on the map.

"We have it!" Robin shouted. He opened his communicator and opened a frequency that all the Titans could hear. "The signal is located on the corner of Ray Road and 15th Avenue. All Titans convene at that location. ETA 10 minutes!" He put his communicator down. "Hit it!" he shouted to Cyborg.

"Hold on!" He replied. He slammed on the breaks and turned the steering wheel enough to put the car into a drifting stop and as soon as the T-Car was 180 degrees in the other direction, he hit the turbo button, making both passengers glued to their seats at the sudden speed change.

The other Titans heard the message and changed directions mid-flight to head towards the ritual.

(Scene Break)

Brother Blood kept monitoring the energy flow completely oblivious to the bloodcurdling screams emitting from the people trapped by the energy beam. The technology he was using was adapted from the Puppet King's soul transference device, but it was altered to prevent the soul-energy from finding a different host. He then had Bumblebee use her natural resistance to electricity to convert it into a usable power source, which was then funneled into the storage tanks surrounding the chamber. This was Brother Blood's own idea and the combination of both ancient magic and modern science effectively doubled the potency of the ritual. The new process however, also doubled the mental and physical strain that was expected when one's soul is forcibly removed from one's body; the evidence of which was clearly proved itself from the mouths of the sacrifices.

Pain was one of the very few things that could snap one of his subjects out of hypnosis prematurely, but all five students were heavily conditioned to be perfect guinea pigs from the first moment they entered his service. His former subordinates had dispersed after the HIVE Academy was dismantled and it was a particular chore for Brother Blood to regather the ones with enough magical power to sustain a door into Hell for a time. The journey had not been without merit, though, as he was able to be re-acquainted with Bumblebee, who had infiltrated his Academy only to bring it down. He simply walked past the security of Titan East while they slept and looked into her eyes. That was all it took to turn her away from her attempts to be a hero and bring her back into the embrace of her true master.

Jinx had been somewhat harder to find as she was no longer a part of the HIVE 5, the name of one of the training teams at Hive Academy that became a fully-fledged criminal enterprise after the Academy's destruction. Brother Blood thought back to the first days of his Academy and the first team of mercenaries that 'graduated' from it. He had decided to form appropriate tag-teams from groups of three whose powers complimented each others. HIVE teams 1 through 9 were used quite frequently to split up his students into groups and setting themselves against each other for training. Jinx was always one of his top students from the first day of her enrollment and quickly moved her way up the ladder to become the leader of the first team to be eligible to work for the highest bidder. Her time at the Academy clearly left an impression on her because after it was disbanded, she used her position of power to recruit her former colleagues into a team with the Academy's namesake in mind.

He had heard from his sources that she had gone rogue and left her team in the dust, something that was nothing like her. When he asked what reason she had for deserting her team, he was told about her having feelings for a guy. Sebastian was shocked at the very thought of it. All of his life, love was regarded as a foreign concept. He was raised in a satanic cult where his mother was a worthless sacrifice that was kidnapped, raped, and used for her ability to reproduce. Every woman he met once he left his home stood by and let abusive boyfriends and husbands beat them senseless without saying anything against it. Even the prostitutes he saw while walking on the streets couldn't even stand up for themselves when it counted, so his opinion of humanity was bleak to say the least.

He was than distracted by a beep that indicated that there were 3 minutes remaining.

**(Scene Break)**

The same beep was heard by all of the Titans, who had just arrived on the sun roof. Raven had a quick look over the profane ritual below and gave a quick summary. "Brother Blood did his homework. Since there's no way to stop the eclipse, we need to take him down and get whoever's in the middle out of there."

Cyborg shifted uncomfortably when he recognized the people trapped in the electric cage. "What will we do about Bumblebee and the others?"

"There's nothing we can do. They're already dead."

Robin nodded. "You heard her! Titans, GO!"

They crashed through the sun roof and landed on the side opposite Blood adopting an aggressive battle stance. His eyes bulged with rage and he bristled with hate. "YOU WILL NOT STOP THIS!" He slammed his fist down on a button in front of him and the walls surrounding them dropped, revealing a long row of Cyclones. The cheap, fully-cybernetic imitations of Cyborg transformed their arms into sonic blasters and aimed them forwards. By the time they fired, the Titans had already dispersed.

Beastboy transformed into a massive bear and rushed towards Brother Blood but was stopped by a loud roar. "HE'S MINE!" Beastboy turned around and barely got a glimpse of a blue flash barreling past him. Satisfied that Blood would be dealt with, he turned on a group of Cyclones that started running towards him. The robots tried to overpower Beastboy, but his animal instincts prevented him from being caught and they were quickly sliced into shreds by the extended bear claws.

Starfire and Robin used their tag-team formations to blow the attackers apart. The sheer numbers had proved to be quite troublesome, and it seemed that whenever one was struck down, three more took its place. Robin was forced to take out his Bo staff to fend off a particularly talented robot and three others forced Starfire into a corner. Filled with a sense of righteous fury, she directed her internal energy to her eyes and blasted the Cyclone immediately in front of her into smithereens. The resulting explosion forced the two at its sides to stumble and Starfire used the pause to destroy them.

She looked up just in time to see the robot that was fighting Robin break through his extendable staff and give him a strong blow to the right side of his cheek. She bristled with so much fury that her long locks of crimson hair rose on its own and flew backwards as she grabbed the robot and threw it across the room with so much force that it took out eight of its counterparts before going clean through the opposite wall and falling down to the street below. Starfire rushed to his side in time to see a nasty welt form on the side of Robin's face. It was clear that his skull was fractured, but Robin put on a brave smile and rose up to face a new horde of Cyclones that were now targeting them. Starfire smiled with him and they both charged into the fray with a new sense of purpose.

Raven did her best to slip by every robot that came close to her and head to the main chamber where she had to rescue the person trapped inside. She repeatedly tried to use her powers to envelope the door and force it open, but the density of the material as well as the immense magical power now surrounding the chamber made it impossible to even touch it with darkness. Feeling the ebb of evil fast approaching, Raven shifted her sight to a control panel that was located immediately next to the door. The panel looked complicated in itself and Raven typed furiously on the controls to get the door to open. She heard a loud smack from behind her and she whirled around to see Beastboy's bear form reeling from a hard punch to the gut. He shifted back into human form and clutched his stomach in pain, but the Cyclone that hit him didn't stop while its enemy was down. Raven saw the approaching robot and cried out "Look out Beastboy!"

Beastboy looked weakly over and saw the robot swing its foot back in preparation for a drop-kick. Terrified by what he was looking at, his defensive reflexes hit and he immediately morphed into a turtle and quickly withdrew his limbs and head into his protective shell. The Cyclone carried through with his kick and the small green amphibian shot through the air and slammed just above the door panel beside Raven. As the shell hit the ground, the door hissed open and a raggedy-looking girl was seen curled up at the center of the room. Raven was shocked to see that a simple physical contact was able to accomplish what her demonic powers could not, but Beastboy changed back into a human and smiled at Raven. "You're welcome."

Raven started to speak. "I'm sorry about earlier, Beastboy. I …"

"We don't have time to talk Rae." An intimidating looking group of Cyclones began advancing on the both of them, so Beastboy said. "Save the girl, I'll fend them off." Raven nodded and rushed into the chamber to check the health of the kidnapped girl, leaving Beastboy to deal with the newly arriving robots. "Where were we?" He said with a grin. The robots raised their arms and activated their cannons, but large tentacles shot out at each of them and crushed the technology in their arms. The giant green squid that just appeared wasted no time in dismantling all of the robots that were surrounding it and threw sizable chunks of robot hardware towards other advancing models.

Elsewhere, Cyborg was fighting Brother Blood who once again proved to be a very agile opponent, and the two were very quick to exchange blows, while staying close to the console that now showed ninety seconds until the eclipse. Blood had been using his sharp claws enhanced with his telekinetic powers to tear small chunks out of Cyborg, giving him a gradually increasing number of rips in his outer shell that sparked like no tomorrow. Enraged, Cyborg threw a right hook that was meant to shatter his enemy's cybernetic eye, but Blood easily crouched to avoid the blow and used his lower stature to grab Cyborg's metal kneecaps and rip them off. The hydraulic machinery supporting his legs failed and he fell to his knees.

Gloating, Brother Blood said "You have always interfered with my plans, but you are now kneeling before me. What else will it take for you to accept defeat at my hands?" He heard a hissing noise in the direction of the summoning chamber and he looked over to see Raven carrying the sacrifice bridal style away from the center. "NOOOOO!" Abandoning his prepared taunt, Blood summoned up every ounce of his telekinetic power and sent a large pulse towards Raven, intending to push the both of them back into the chamber.

Beastboy heard the loud declaration of denial and he looked to the source to see a large red wall of energy shooting towards Raven and the girl, who were both completely unaware of it. Without thinking, and in what seemed like slow motion, he jumped over and pushed Raven and the girl out of the way. With them out of the way, Beastboy took the entirety of the mental force and was catapulted inside of the open chamber. A residual force shattered the control panel next to the door and the door hissed shut. He slowly got up and walked to the small window connecting him to the outside and looked through it to see all of his friends staring at him with their jaws open and their skin tones quickly paling, which could have also be credited to the darkness that was slowly filling both the room and the chamber. The eclipse was almost full.

Raven placed the girl gently on the floor away from the chamber while Cyborg pulled himself up to the console next to him and typed furiously on the keyboard. A loud beep turned all of the Titan's attention towards the clock counting down to the eclipse

00:45

Robin ran over to Cyborg and grabbed his metal shoulder. "Can we get him out?"

"The system's locked. I can't open the doors!" Cyborg said. His eyes looked haunted and could do nothing but stare at his trapped friend.

Raven looked worried. "We need to get him out of there before Trigon can touch him!"

"Starfire, Raven. Tear that door down!" Robin commanded. The girls wasted no time and began to blast the door with all of their might. Starfire let out a flurry of star bolts at the chamber to absolutely no effect. The smoke cleared without so much as a scratch on it. Raven had to resort to throwing heavy objects at the chamber, as her magic had no bearing on it, but the effort was pointless. The chamber was too strong.

00:30

"Raven, Starfire, stop! You're making it worse. I have a back-up plan that might work. Last night I rigged up a small EMP generator that'll short-circuit everything within 50 yards, but we have to do it now before the eclipse hits!" Cyborg opened a slot on his damaged arm to reveal a sinister-looking device with a button on it.

00:10

"But friend Cyborg, will that not affect you too?" Starfire inquired.

"He'd do the same for me!"

Robin looked panicked. "Everyone brace yourselves! Cyborg, do it!"

00:05

Beastboy stood inside the chamber watching everything from afar, without hearing and sounds from outside, though he didn't need to hear to know what was happening.

00:04

Brother Blood's eyes opened with supernatural force and he jumped with impossible speed to stop Cyborg before he could ruin everything.

00:03

Robin saw the attack and ran between Cyborg and Blood to protect their final hope of saving the world. Cyborg raised his arm in anticipation of his final moment.

00:02

Starfire gasped as Brother Blood's extended claws rushed forwards to break anything in their path. Robin raised his bird-a-rang to block the incoming attack, but Brother Blood's claws ripped through it like butter and connected with the bruised side of Robin's face, breaking through his already-fractured skull and penetrating deep into his head.

00:01

Cyborg threw his hand downwards to slam on the button. Beastboy saw all of this happen in horror and just as Cyborg was about to push the button to activate the EMP,

00:00

_Beastboy looked at the scene before him in confusion. All of his friends' movements ceased and Cyborg's hand was poised motionless an inch away from the button on his arm. The blood that burst from Robin's head hung in mid-air and the look on Raven's face was a look of perpetual and unchanging terror. It appeared that time had stopped for everyone but him, but he was about to find out why._

_The insides of the chamber had changed from cold steel to black lined with roiling flames. Every hair on Beastboy's body stood up with so much force that it was as if every follicle on his body wanted nothing more than to run away and hide. He then became aware of a presence behind him that was so malevolent that its aura sent out powerful pulses of power and might._

_A deep rumbling laughter echoed through the chamber and Beastboy slowly turned around to see four blood-red eyes gazing down at him that seemed to mock his very appearance. A voice that can only be described as evil began to emit from the entity above him, causing his very soul to rumble. _

"_**So I ask for a worthy sacrifice and all I get is my daughter's pet. Unfortunate. You have been delivered to me to be my new portal into your world, so you will have to do. I will, however, give you compensation for your actions during my last rule. I once said that fighting you was beneath me. I will not afford you the same privilege again."**_

_The eyes glowed with an unnatural force and Beastboy was slowly raised into the air and brought closer to Trigon. Beastboy struggled with all of his might, but was unable to break free of the demonic vines now restraining him. The second that he tried to change his shape into that of a gorilla, the vines grew vicious thorns that cut through his skin and tore through his uniform, forcing him to change back into a human. Even though he had multiple lacerations across his limbs and body, Beastboy kept from screaming and used his pain and anger to glare back at Trigon in defiance._

"_**You think that you can withstand my power? I am the master of terror; I am the master of hate! Every emotion you harbor against me will only strengthen me more! I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT PAIN AND SUFFERING REALLY MEANS!"**_

_The vines holding him withdrew with a menacing intelligence to grab Beastboy's hands and feet and pulled with such force that the sound of tendons tearing and bones creaking filled his ears, closely accompanied by a wave of agony that he had never experienced before. His body was stretched to its limit and he knew that any more would cleave his extremities away from him. The movement slowly ceased and the pain subsided, though he was still hanging in submission before the demon. Beastboy raised his head weakly to see what Trigon had planned for him next._

_A demonic hand appeared before him and raised a pointed finger that was aimed towards the weak changeling before it. The finger moved forwards and pressed lightly on the center of his ribcage, just above his heart. A cold feeling instantly flowed through Beastboy that made every cell shiver in the presence of Trigon's power. The feeling slowly dulled and became a slight itch. The itch spread throughout his body that forced Beastboy's eyes shut in the sheer unpleasantness of it. The feeling of the itch that could never be scratched flowed from his toes to his fingertips, and it slowly became warmer. _

_It got warmer and warmer, turning into a steady fire encompassing his entire body. There was heat upon heat upon heat that grew into an inferno so powerful that Beastboy could feel his skin crisp and blacken. He could feel every scrap of skin curl up and fall off of his body, leaving no protection for the muscles and sinew below. The pain was so intense and merciless that his eyes rolled back into his skull and his lids were closed so tight that his tear glands were crushed, forcing salty tears to flow on his wounds. The wetness only served to amplify the scorching heat and the salt made the wounds sting with piercing might. The organs in Beastboy's body now took the full brunt of Trigon's wrath and the tightly wound fibers of his innards crystallized and shattered from the heat, leaving only charred bones behind. Beastboy could feel every atom in his body incinerate and he finally broke down and let out a shrieking wail that reverberated through his entire body._

_The sound had jerked Beastboy to his senses as he realized that the sound had vibrated through regions that had only just burned off, so he gasped sharply, taking air into the lungs he vividly remembered experiencing incinerate. He threw his head forwards, forcing his chin to hit his ribcage only to hear a dull thud that indicated skin lessening the blow. He cracked his eyes open just a sliver to see the damage that was done to his body, only to glimpse an unscathed body below him. Beastboy opened his eyes fully and saw that he was still hanging by his limbs with all of his flesh and skin intact. He looked up in confusion and stared directly at the eyes still hovering above him._

"_**Confused, changeling? In here, I control all and you are my puppet, so I will do what I please. Making you suffer shall please me greatly!"**_

_Beastboy experienced the agonizing pain over and over again, only to find his body unscathed at the end of it yet again. Even though the emotional strain of the torture was breaking Beastboy down, every time he looked out of the window, he saw Cyborg's hand inch closer and closer to the button. The nightmare would be over soon, and all Beastboy had to do was endure. His only other consolation was that Trigon appeared unaware of the impending salvation. _

_Trigon had changed his tactics and now summoned a constant stream of demonic ravens with razor-sharp wings that flew into Beastboy, causing deep scars and vicious gashes that healed the instant that they were inflicted. What felt like hours passed and Cyborg's hand finally made contact with the button it was hovering over. The effect was apparent inside the chamber, as the dark and fiery tomb slowly turned back into the cold metal chamber it was before. Even Trigon's presence began to dwindle and fade. _

"_**No! You will not escape me so easily! You will be my vessel into this world!"**_

_Trigon's eyes glowed once again and began the same ritual he used when he summoned up the doppelgangers from within the Titans. The fading Trigon obviously lacked the power to complete the spell, because before it was performed, the vines restraining Beastboy vanished and he fell to the ground with a soft thump._

Cyborg finally hit the button and triggered a blue shockwave that enveloped everything inside of the room. The first person to be affected was Cyborg, who selflessly and knowingly sacrificed himself to stop Trigon from being successfully summoned. Every visible blue circuit on his body sparked violently and his cybernetic eye exploded, leaving the hard-drive behind it exposed. Brother Blood's mechanical components had much the same reaction, but the sleeker design of his body caused it to have a melt-down, visibly fusing together and leaving his body powerless. The effect on Robin was restricted to his utility belt exploding and leaving his torso with nasty burns, but the open crevice in his head made it abundantly clear that would never feel it.

The shockwave reached the chamber and everything was destroyed in a fanciful show of pyrotechnics. The pulsing pentagram on the floor seemed to have a mind of its own because it burst into flames and the tongues of fire danced together with flying sparks in a symphony of crackles. The storage devices were drained of their power, causing the energy beam connecting and trapping the five spellcasters disrupted and they lifelessly fell to the floor. Amidst the flames and the darkness, the magnetic seals on the door released and the pneumatic hiss signaled its opening, revealing a collapsed Beastboy within. Though the chamber was online for the duration of 0.061 seconds, Trigon tortured Beastboy for over 7 hours.

Reacting to the situation, Starfire dashed over to the collapsed Robin and grabbed him in the hope that he still lived. The realization that he would never breathe again sank in and she was forced to cradle him in her arms while sobbing. Sebastian Blood laid twitching on the ground beside her and gurgling to get the blood out of his throat. Cyborg had his cybernetic half keeping him alive, but Blood's was only to increase his telekinetic powers. Though his mechanical armaments no longer worked, Brother Blood was still very much alive. Starfire felt the motion and opened her eyes to see the deranged old man looking at her and trying to gurgle out a laugh. Her eyes slowly lit up and became more luminescent with the fury of a woman scorned. She let them continue to brighten until they burned with the force of the sun. Starfire could contain the energy no longer and directed every ounce of her rage and regret at the one who took her beloved away from her, leaving behind nothing but ash.

Raven rose from her position and briskly walked into the open chamber and to the green boy on the ground. He was leaning on his shoulder and facing away from her, and when she grasped his head and turned it upwards, she saw his eyes wide open from sheer horror and his mouth open in a soundless scream. Raven quickly put her palm over his face and uttered a spell to place Beastboy into a restful state. She then put her arms under his, joined her fingers across his chest, and slowly moved him far away from the chamber. When he was safely away from the chamber and any harm, she gently propped him up against a slanted piece of fallen ceiling and started to pour healing energy into him.

By the time the emergency crews arrived on the scene, it was too late. Brother Blood had been stopped, but the Teen Titans had been ripped in half. The floor was littered with disassembled robotic parts and dead bodies that slowly drained the room of all feeling. Tears were mixed with the blood and oil on the ground and created a bitter smell that permeated everything. The actions of that day brought down the mood of the entire city and it was clear that Trigon had succeeded at one thing; everyone in Jump City now had to bear the chains of the eclipse.

To Be Continued.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**Amenson out**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III: Impossible Reflections.**

**This chapter is late. Reason? I now have a job on 6 days a week in a newly opened pub. So new in fact that I unpacked most of the equipment and set up the machinery myself. Another reason is that I had much ground to cover for this installment. I do hope that this is chunky enough to satiate you, it took me the better part of a month to create! Regardless, my apologies for the lateness and my promise that the new chapter will be up at year's end. **

**Previously:** _By the time the emergency crews arrived on the scene, it was too late. Brother Blood had been stopped, but the Teen Titans had been ripped in half. The floor was littered with disassembled robotic parts and dead bodies that slowly drained the room of all feeling. Tears were mixed with the blood and oil on the ground and created a bitter smell that permeated everything. The actions of that day brought down the mood of the entire city and it was clear that Trigon had succeeded at one thing; everyone in Jump City now had to bear the chains of the eclipse._

The Teen Titans were split in half with no chance of repairing the damage done. Due to the importance of the event, cleanup finished in less than an hour and the remaining superheroes were shipped off to the police station for an official statement. The only problem was that one appeared traumatized, one never talked, and one had no idea about what she was talking about.

The three last Titans wound up in the lobby of the station and silently conversed with themselves.

"We have defeated the 'bad guy', and yet I feel ill. Why did this have to happen, friends?" Starfire looked genuinely worried for the first time in her life.

Raven wove her fingers together. "We all knew the risks when we took this job, Star. This was bound to happen eventually."

Starfire's eyes started to glisten with tears. "But why did our friends have to die? We have always escaped defeat in the past and left unharmed!"

Raven nodded. "But this time we didn't. Our friends are gone and there's no bringing them back."

Starfire looked up. "What of Friend Cyborg? Can we not rebuild him? Do we not have the technology?"

"Not this time."

"And Friend Robin, is he, too, gone?"

Raven lowered her hood. "We will see them again." She said and put her arm around a now-sobbing Starfire.

While comforting the distraught girl, Raven stole a glance at Beastboy, who had been largely unresponsive. He had been staring at the glass window directly opposite of him, as if trying to stare down his own reflection.

The truth was far less simple. For hours now, Beastboy had been reliving what happened in the chamber. Every time he distracted himself with something, like rearranging the dirt on the ground into small mounds or making origami cranes, he heard the most terrible whispers reminding him just how worthless he really was.

A week later, the Jump City Mayor stood by a podium at the base of a large monolith dedicated to the memory of the lives that were lost in the chamber and the lives that were saved from it. The event drew people from all walks of life and all corners of the world to it; such was the importance of the memorial.

"We are here to commemorate the loss of some of our finest citizens. Robin and Cyborg have selflessly protected this city for years and have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. This memorial that we have erected will remain here for all of eternity, so that we may never forget what they have done for us. It is with deepest regret that I inform you that the Teen Titans that have safeguarded thus city for so long are no more. They have protected us and allowed us to grow, but it is time for us to stand on our own two feet. Our upgraded police force will be more than enough to deal with any villain who wreaks havoc here, and the Titans have more than deserved an extended mourning period and retirement from their services. We thank them all for what they have done, and we wish them the best of luck in the future."

A large number of the attendees were recognizable; Batman and a few members of the Justice League; the City Mayor and his council members; a few scientists supporting a large black man in his sixties with the STAR labs logo; the remaining members of Titans East; most of the Honorary Titans; and four cloaked figures in the background, one tiny, one massive, and two with an average build, all bowing their heads. The HIVE 5 had lost two of its most prominent members, and they were free to mourn their losses without fear of persecution. It was a dark day for all of them and the service was just as emotional.

Once the eulogy was done, a small line was formed. One by one, everyone passed by the memorial and paid whatever tribute they thought was appropriate. After most had left, extravagant wreaths of flowers and burning sticks of incense surrounded the memorial as a reminder of what was lost.

An hour had passed and the only ones standing in front of the grave were the remaining Titans. Silent words were spoken reflecting what each of them would miss and the activities they would no longer enjoy.

Starfire turned around and gave a large encompassing, yet gentle hug to her remaining teammates and said goodbye. With tears in her eyes, she looked up and slowly hovered off the ground and rose up until she was out of sight. The Tamaranian princess meant never to return again.

As the sun sank deeper into the sky, the two left turned to leave. Beastboy took one last look at the polished stone to see his reflection looking back at him, only with a slight red tint where his eyes should have been.

**(Scene Break)**

Plenty of people go out for drinks every day, why should I be any different? Alcohol has been used to soothe souls for thousands of years, so it'll work for me. I deserve a night out every once in a while, don't I? What's the harm in having a few? I'm fairly sure I can hold my liquor.

The only male left in Titans Tower was trying to justify his desire to go out for a night and see if copious amounts of beer would help in any way with the pain.

The pain he wanted to rid himself of was not of loss, but of fear. Beastboy had lost people dear to him all of his life and taught himself never to truly connect to someone so that moving on after became easier. Still gut-wrenchingly difficult, but easier.

Ever since he emerged from that chamber, the events that took place played through over and over in his mind. He could vividly remember every detail of his torture, from the light cuts to the massive gashes that ripped from the hip to the shoulder. He took off his shirt to show the green skin beneath it. In his mind, the thin canvas on him should have been ripped to shreds with tendons hanging loose and muscles atrophied. The evidence was to the contrary as his skin was smoother than a newborns and a flawless emerald color.

His eyes traveled to his hands, where he should have seen scars and lime green splotches. All evidence of burns, cuts, and scratch-marks were nowhere in sight. He then moved his gaze to his shoulders where there should have been lighter lines across his upper back as a result of being whipped mercilessly as a child. He traced his fingers over his collarbone to find the skin perfectly even and unscathed. Beastboy was unsure if the lack of scars was planned by Trigon or an unintended side-effect.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he no longer had to constantly wear a shirt to hide the marks. The smile quickly vanished as Beastboy had no way to prove to himself that he had passed many trials and tribulations in his life. Every welt on his body told a story, ranging from a burn he received from grabbing a missile in mid flight to a bite mark on his arm when he fought Mallah and beat him. These scars wove a tale of his exploits in the same way as a body tattoo and now they were no more.

The only record of Beastboy's life was with Garfield alone. His parents died in a foreign country and there was not even a proper funeral for them. His uncle barely kept him alive and didn't take him to any schools or activities. The Doom Patrol never kept paperwork for fear that others could use it against them. There was no official record of his existence before the Titans with the exception of a Birth Certificate that was currently concealed in a locker at an abandoned subway station.

And there it was. The reason that Beastboy was afraid was that with no scars on his body, he would lose his entire identity.

His past made him.

His past inspired him.

His past humbled him.

The fear that he didn't have anything to show for the years of pain and suffering he endured was overwhelming and Beastboy wanted to drown his worries, if only for a single night. Completely set to go, he walked towards the roof.

Before he reached the top, Raven stopped him. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Out for the night. I'll be back by tomorrow." He replied.

"You can't go. You don't know what's out there."

"You can't stop me. I need to do this!"

Raven took a step forward. "Drinking isn't the answer. I can help you if you need it. I know you're feeling anxious."

Beastboy shook his head. "I'm fine and you couldn't help me if you tried. Not that you'd want to anyways." He seethed.

"You're exuding helplessness and fear with your every breath. It doesn't take an empath to know you're in need of someone." Raven's expression softened. "I know you still need time to recover from what happened, but I guarantee you that this will get worse if you go now."

A sourceless pool of anger bubbled up within him. "You can't help me! You can't even help yourself! You claim to be a paragon of reason and logic, but even though you never show emotion, I know you cry yourself to sleep every night. I've heard it every night from the first time we met and you lost the right to lecture me from day 1!"

She trembled with anger at his tenacity. "Shut up, Beastboy!" She warned, fearing that she would lose control if he continued.

"No!" he yelled defiantly. Two weeks ago he would have never considered refusing anything that Raven said, but something told him that she crossed a line. He was going to speak his mind and she would have to listen to everything she deserved. "I've always let you have your own way but now this is too much. I deserve to do my own thing, so why don't you go back to your room and cry like you always do!" He practically screamed at her face.

Raven said nothing else and moved her hand to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist before it connected. He forcefully threw it back by her side and drew close to her trembling face.

"You don't get to hit me." He growled, either oblivious to or gladdened by her being on the verge of tears. He turned on his heels and stormed off to the roof where Raven heard a gust of wind.

Stripped bare of her emotionless armor and left out without any more secrets, Raven collapsed. It wasn't that she was drained of her energy, but she lost the reason to stand and was left in a pitiful heap on the floor. With no one to help her up, she stayed there for a few hours before dragging herself to her room and locking the door behind her.

**(Scene Break)**

It had been a day since Starfire had left Earth and she had already passed Neptune. The Tamaranian Princess had far exceeded the speed that she was used to just to feel the burn in her muscles and lungs. She had spent an hour in the asteroid belt to release her pent up rage. She even melted a hole in Neptune's Ice Rings just to leave her eternal mark on something, but to her it wasn't enough.

Hers was a warrior world. Battles were fought, won, and celebrated on a monthly basis. This wasn't often enough for Starfire and when the opportunity to fight evil daily, she jumped on it with glee. The constant joy of vanquishing enemies was glorious to her and she made sure to voice it after every triumph. She also had the availability to cook whatever she wanted herself, something her servants and subordinates on Tamaran would never allow. There was also a man on Earth that had captured her interest.

His rigidness intrigued her and his true strength far rivaled hers. She may have been able to fly and lift a million pounds without breaking a sweat, but in a fight between the two of them, she was sure that she would lose. This only made her like him all the more, but it seemed that the reason he earned her respect and adoration was the same reason why they were never truly together.

She never gave up hope, though. Starfire always dreamed that one day, all of her hopes would come true and that they would live together in harmony and love; a source of love to fill her with enough emotion to fend off any foe. This was now impossible, and her love was dead. She had no reason to remain on Earth any longer and headed back to her home-planet to stay with the only people she had left. She would rule Tamaran and lead it into a new era of prosperity and strength.

**(Scene Break)**

A green figure stirred in his sleep in one of the back alleys of Jump City. It's hand moved out as if examining it's surroundings and found a cold thick liquid. Assuming it was potentially water, the figure brought the liquid to it's mouth. The second it touched it's lips, a wave of pride and accomplishment swept over it. He grinned, revealing reddened canines; he was sleeping beside his kill.

Kill. His. The liquid. Blood. Beastboy's eyes snapped open to reveal a gruesome scene before him. A mangled and torn body lay before him surrounded by a heavily congealed pool of blood. There was no need for a special detective to discover what had happened. The long ginger hair and the claw marks all over the body screamed out one thing:

He killed a woman.

HE killed a woman.

He KILLED a woman.

He killed a WOMAN.

The entire weight of his actions slammed down on him like a pile of bricks and Beastboy hurled at the revulsion he felt. The bits of flesh and blood flew from his mouth only made it come out harder and feel worse.

There was only one thing left for Beastboy, so he ran. Just ran away from everything to get a better grasp on what just happened. So he ran to the only place where he could be safe.

Beastboy ran back to the tower like a demon out of Hell and dashed towards the main bathroom. He turned on the shower to maximum power and switched the temperature up to scalding. He had to cleanse his body of all the sin he was feeling.

Beastboy went over everything that happened in his mind, first was the trip to the bar, then, from the receipt in his jacket, about 50$ worth of booze and pretzels, and then nothing.

He couldn't remember what happened after that night. How then did he end up next to a body with blood on his fingertips and mouth? Thinking about it triggered regurgitation, but there was no more liquid in his stomach and all that came was red-tinted saliva; there was still someone else's blood in his system.

Throwing inhibition to the wind, Beastboy stepped into the shower and winced at the heat, but was grateful for the fresh feeling it brought. He let the water flow over his eyes and down his naked body and let it take away all of the stress and worry.

Feeling much better, Beastboy lowered his head and started to don a shadow of a smile.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he heard a familiar voice say.

Instinct kicked in and Beastboy jumped back and slammed into the mirror behind him, eyes wide and looking around.

"You're looking the wrong way" the voice whispered.

Beastboy slowly turned his head around and stared into his reflection, but instead of his eyes, he saw glowing red orbs. "Y-you" He now knew that the voice was so familiar because it was his own.

"Yes, me."

"But you can't be! You disappeared after Trigon was defeated!"

The reflection gave a grin that showed sharpened fangs. "And you encountered him once again, or did you forget?" the reflection lifted his arm and pointed to his chest.

Immediately, Beastboy felt the same chill through his body and winced at what would happen next, but the pain never came.

"Unfortunately, my master didn't have enough time to possess you completely, so he recreated me. I am to be your constant companion that will haunt your every dream and torture your every waking moment."

A terrible realization swept over Beastboy. "It was you! You killed that woman!"

The reflection smirked and waved his hands as if he was sweeping away the blame. "Oh, you were the one that did the killing. I was just a helpful observer."

"No! I'm not a killer!" Beastboy shouted.

"But you didn't just kill her, did you? Years of being a vegetarian just made your first taste of flesh that much sweeter." The reflection licked his lips as if savoring the memory.

Beastboy yelled "SHUT UP!" and punched the mirror, shattering it and giving his fist numerous cuts. He panted from exhaustion and cradled his injured hand in the other.

He put his uniform back on and dashed to his room, hoping to outrun his evil self. He ran through the door and slammed it behind him, pausing for a moment to catch his breath.

"You haven't run far enough, boy."

Beastboy whirled around to see his reflection in the aluminum toaster wedged in between his bed and a rather large stuffed polar bear he won at the carnival. Racing forward, he grabbed the toaster and threw it into the closet.

He tried to think where he could go where there were no reflective surfaces. The common room? No, the giant TV and windows were there. The garage? No, Cyborg polished everything down there within an inch of its life. The isolation room? Perfect, no reflections and it was designed to keep demons out.

Without wasting time, he dashed off to the isolation room and entered a sequence on the dashboard beside the door. With an almost inaudible hiss, the door swept open, revealing a blue runed interior. The door closed behind him and Beastboy walked to a corner of the room and sat down, feeling safe.

"Ahem"

Beastboy's eyes opened to see himself standing above him, large as life. "What?" He sputtered out.

"When are you going to learn that you can't just run from me?"

Beastboy shook his head. "You're not real, you can't touch me." he mumbled.

His doppelgänger laughed. "Really?" It asked mockingly. "What do you call this?" It reached down and lifted Beastboy off the ground by the scruff of his neck into a standing position. "Still think this isn't real?" It grabbed Beastboy's face and slammed it into the corner with an audible crack.

Beastboy slumped down on the ground and cradled his head.

"When will you understand that you can't shut me out? If I can't talk to you from a reflection, I'll just use your eyes." The doppelgänger sneered at the form below it.

Beastboy slowly lifted his head. "But you can't be real! We defeated you!"

The doppelgänger shook its head. "No Brat-boy, your friends did the thing you were too weak to, as it always is."

Beastboy rose up defiantly. "You aren't real and you can't push me around anymore!"

"Oh, I'm as real as they come. But don't worry; I'll do more than just push you."

The doppelgänger grabbed his throat and slammed him to the ground. Beastboy tried to wipe away the blood on his brow, but his counterpart grabbed his wrist and bent it at an unnatural angle, breaking it and causing Beastboy to yell out in pain.

His injured hand was forcefully thrown to the ground while the other was pinned to the ground with the doppelgänger's foot. It knelt down and positioned its knee directly on Beastboy's windpipe. Beastboy struggled to free himself from the apparition, but to no avail. He was slowly losing consciousness.

A jolt of power swept across Beastboy and he literally jumped out of the choke-hold. Now free, he looked around quickly to find his evil twin, but couldn't see him anywhere. This was when a terrible thought occurred to him. If he didn't have eyes, then it couldn't appear to hurt him, right?

Beastboy looked around to see if he could use anything, and rested his eyes on a pen that lay on the floor. He slowly moved his hand to grab it and removed the cap. He then positioned the nib to point towards his eye, hands trembling. He wanted to do it so very badly, and yet he couldn't just maim himself, could he? He made up his mind. For the sake of his sanity, he had to do this…

**(Meanwhile)**

Raven was pouring through the Justice League's database looking for any mention of the side effects of a demonic encounter. There were many cases that fit the description, but most had no solid evidence that contact was made and the others had symptoms that could easily be contributed to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Raven also knew that even if she found a similar case, the circumstances would be completely different. Most demons that would come in contact with a human were generally curious about the world above and had only peaceful intentions, lest their actions be misconstrued as an act of war. There were a few instances of humans attempting to summon powerful demons, but the ritual was always wrong and the offering blown way out of proportion. The only other case that involved physical contact with an omnipotent demon was between herself and her father, but the effect was minimal as she was related to Trigon and was half-demon.

Raven looked furiously at any mention of possession, hoping to find a way to help Beastboy even after the argument they had the previous night. Thinking back, Raven knew that he couldn't possibly be responsible for what he said. Beastboy had never said so much as a word against her in the many years that they knew each other.

It had to be something else…

It had to…

Her thought was interrupted by a flashing window that just appeared on the screen informing the viewer that someone had just entered the isolation room. The system was never shut down after the last end of the world, but was never used again - until now of course. Raven stood up quickly and hovered to the basement, hoping that nothing had gone wrong.

Once at the room, she overheard Beastboy talking to someone but nothing replied. After she heard a loud bang and something slumping to the ground, she rushed over to the control panel and entered her password. The system groaned into life and it ran several checks to confirm the identity of the newcomer. Just as it verified her retina and fingerprint ID, she heard a violent crack and Beastboy screaming. She pounded on the door to make it go faster, but the machine wouldn't submit.

The door finally opened and Raven gasped as she saw Beastboy with his arms held in and about to gouge out his eyes. "Beastboy!" She ran forwards and quickly put her hands beside his head. Raven uttered a spell meant to transfer all of the pain and suffering from one person into a temporary receptacle. With no other fauna or flora close by, she took all of it herself.

Deep bruising faded from Beastboy's body and his demeanor calmed considerably as he fell unconscious on the floor. Raven wasn't entirely prepared for the effects and wad instantly overwhelmed by deep throbbing pain in her head and searing heat in her arm. Struggling to overcome the pain, Raven chanted her mantra over and over until all of the pain subsided.

All that was left in the room was a tired-looking Raven and an unconscious Beastboy.

**(Scene Break)**

Raven had moved him to one of the beds in the infirmary where she tried to discern exactly what was wrong with him. Cyborg had given them all crash courses on the equipment in there and she used that knowledge to run every medical test available to her.

The X-Ray of his arm showed that the fracture was caused by an immense stressor that was not from an external source. That, coupled with an abnormally high adrenaline level, meant that there was definitely something wrong with Beastboy.

Fearing the worst, Raven took out a magically enhanced compass designed to signal if there was any demonic energy resting in a person. When she grabbed it from the dark cupboard, it spun rapidly at her touch. She ignored the obvious implication and placed it on Beastboy's forehead. The needle slowed down and completely stopped.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief, but as soon as the air hit the sweat on his brow, he stirred ever so gently. She then heard a soft whirring, so she looked at the compass and it was now spinning faster than when she was holding it. The needle was now moving so fast that the air pressure caused by it cracked the glass covering it; there was a very powerful force inside of him.

She fell back at the realization that her Father was influencing Beastboy's actions and had done for weeks now.

**(Scene Break)**

After the incident in both the isolation room and the infirmary, Raven had set up her room for containment and protection of both herself and her partner. There had been many times that Raven changed the layout of her room, mostly to complete rituals or to accommodate a particular change that she integrated in her lifestyle. This time she changed something for someone else. This time was to be the first time that she used her room to benefit another.

Beastboy stirred yet again, only this time he was unable to move. His teammate glanced over from her reading to reassess the situation he was in. She had bound him to a table using worn but thick set of leather straps. There were also candles that formed a circle around his body, allowing him to be concealed from the supernatural. The stirring stopped and the detainee fell back into his slumber.

She sat in an uncomfortable steel chair at his side reading a book which only had the letters '.X..' visible as the others were concealed by lightly burned fingers. As she flipped the pages, one of them was considerable stiffer than the others and made a louder fwishing sound. The noise made Beastboy's eyes twitch. This time, however, he didn't fall back asleep.

Beastboy awoke to the dark ceiling that could only belong to his more emotionally-challenged teammate. He felt something pressing down on his chest and moved his hand to remove whatever was there, only he couldn't move his hand. His arm wouldn't respond either, so he shook his body to see if anything was free.

"Please stop that Beastboy, you can't free yourself."

Beastboy froze, fearing that his evil twin had somehow trapped him, but the voice sounded too soft and gentle to be evil. He looked around and rested his eye on the source of the voice. Recognizing Raven, he relaxed slightly, but tensed up because she might be another illusion.

"How do I know you're you?" Beastboy asked. "You could be another figure of my something!"

Raven rolled her eyes and folded her arms. Trust Beastboy to get a common phrase wrong.

Beastboy tried to think of a way to find whether or not she was real or fake. "I know! Say something only Raven would say!" Beastboy furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait… that would be too obvious. What was the last thing you said to me?" He asked her.

"Shut up Beastboy." Raven replied.

"Rae!" Beastboy smiled with the confidence that this one was a real one.

"No, I mean it. Shut up. Talking will make things worse.

Beastboy remembered the last encounter they had and was shocked it led to where it did. He had no idea why he said what he did or where the words came from. He never had a bad word to say to anyone, save Slade for what he was responsible for. Raven had not done anything to deserve those words, so why did he say them?

Wait. He knew exactly why. He began struggling against his bonds, looking around in fear of what his counterpart could do in his more vulnerable state when he felt a hand on his forehead.

"Please trust me. If you're afraid of what is possessing you, it cannot harm you here."

"It kind of already did." Beastboy explained. "I never wanted to say those things to you. They just sort of popped out. You can hit me if you want. Or send me out a window, that always seems to cheer you up!" He said hopefully. He knew that he could never truly just pay what he owed her that quickly, but he had to try.

"There's no need for that. You've suffered enough."

Raven's eyes met his and she could see the guilt in them. Her eyes then moved down to an intricate amulet on his breast. It was a relic of the old kingdom that she rescued when a museum was destroyed in one of Slade's later exploits. Upon encountering it, she was immediately repelled by it and it inflicted minor burns just for being in close proximity. The severity of the consequences were very interesting to her and she went to great lengths to contain and keep it. It had remained in deep storage, never used until now.

Beastboy followed her gaze and saw what he felt weighing down on his chest. It looked quite harmless, but after a few seconds it flashed, making something within him scream in agony. By instinct, he winced but felt no pain himself, even though it was his own voice that was wailing.

"I've tried everything, but my powers won't work on my father's magic." Raven sounded more morose than usual. "I had to put that amulet on you. It's made of Nth metal and puts a great strain on the demon inside you, lessening the grip it has on you. You won't have to deal with it, but it lasts about a week."

He took a closer look at her and noticed that she was hiding her hands within her cape. "Raven, show me your hands." He said with some urgency. Her only response was to pull the cloak tighter around her body, but her fingers were visible for a split second in the meantime, revealing severe burns on them. It clicked in Beastboy's mind that the same amulet that held his own demon back hurt Raven as well.

"We do have another option, but I'll only consider it if there's no other choice."

Beastboy shuddered at the hateful aura emitting from her. "What's the other option." He asked.

Her eyes darkened. "Him."

He squinted. "Who's 'Him'?"

"Malchior."

A slew of memories flooded through the both of them, but Beastboy was shocked. "What? When is that ever an option? You can't trust anything he says. He'll kill you the second he's out of the book. I'd rather die than be helped by that bastard!"

He was interrupted by Raven. "NO!" She shouted. "I won't lose anyone else!" She was visibly exhausted by the outburst, leaving Beastboy speechless. Raven just shouted. Raven NEVER shouts.

They stayed there for a couple of minutes in silence, neither of them wanting to make things worse. All Raven could think about was saving Beastboy from himself and all he could think about was how to stop her from making rash decisions. Beastboy finally decided to break the silence and say the thing he wanted to tell her from the beginning.

"I don't want to lose anyone either, least of all you. You mean the world to me, and more. Just please think about this before you do anything. My life isn't worth the risk of Him getting out."

Raven's face never changed, but her eyes indicated that what she just heard was what she needed to hear.

She knew that Beastboy had nothing but good intentions in his heart, but Raven was running out of time and options. She was going to have to face her greatest fear with the hope that it could save her best friend.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**My thanks to all those that reviewed this story so far and I do hope that I am still following the same format and feeling as I have done in previous chapters. The next chapter will involve what happens during and after the ritual. Also, completely unrelated, that sexual content I mentioned earlier is in the next chapter which will truly bring the rating up to 'M'.**

**And how am I doing so far? **

**Amenson out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV: Regretted choices**

**As promised, the fourth chapter is here with the turn of the year. I understand that many of you are celebrating the passing of a very long year, but I did make a promise and I always keep them. I've done this every chapter, but I'll warn you anyways. There is rape in this chapter. Anyways, enjoy. Or not. It's up to you.**

**Previously: **_"I don't want to lose anyone either, least of all you. You mean the world to me, and more. Just please think about this before you do anything. My life isn't worth the risk of Him getting out."_

_Raven's face never changed, but her eyes indicated that what she just heard was what she needed to hear._

_She knew that Beastboy had nothing but good intentions in his heart, but Raven was running out of time and options. She was going to have to face her greatest fear with the hope that it could save her best friend._

Raven stood in front of a box that had collected the dust of years on it. When it was first sealed, she had never meant to open it again, but with things as they were, she had no choice. She gazed over the fine carvings and intricate designs as she had done at least once a day for the past 5 years. She then looked over the many gashes that now donned the surface, the result of many nights of rage and nightmares. There were also numerous dents from when she threw objects at it or simply used her fists to beat the container of the worst part of her life.

That very box was like Pandora's, only it never had hope or joy inside. Only pain, anguish, and suffering could ever come from it. Yet, despite the terrible being inside, it also contained the last hope for Beastboy's recovery.

It wasn't like she never tried anything else, she tried everything. Raven had been sleeplessly searching for any solution for the past three days and found only bad news. The oldest and most powerful of tomes had nothing to help her written in them. None of the amateur witches or sorcerers had any clue what to do. Even upon consulting the more magically oriented members of the Justice League, they only had the worst case scenario to offer. Doctor Fate had advised killing Beastboy as the only option to prevent the demon from escaping. It was at this point that she ignored everything that she was told and set out to make a deal with the last hope she had.

The hinges squeaked open to reveal a seemingly harmless white book that held terrible memories within. She took it out and put it in a pedestal surrounded by candles and a special mixture of ash and powdered salamander.

She took a few steps outside of the circle marked on the floor and brought a bowl of magical powder and hair to her mouth. The contents were blown towards the book and a shimmering vortex of energy surrounded the book. Instead of creating a paper vessel to house the dragon within, the book simply opened and flipped to the page with all too familiar eyes.

"This is a surprise. I thought that after our last encounter, you would be the last person I would see. After all, our parting was such sweet sorrow."

"You tried to kill everyone."

"And it is sad that I failed."

Raven squinted at the eyes on the page with disgust. "Why don't you come out of your book? What are you afraid of?"

The book summoned up a flurry of pages and took the form of a mummy with enchanting eyes. "Afraid? On the contrary, Raven." The figure crossed his arms across his chest. "Even from the confines of my box, I have sensed the most unusual of energies. Your teammates' auras are no longer present, though the power of the only other one left has grown exponentially. No doubt you have come to me to beg forgiveness and ask for my help in the matter. If anything, the person who fears the situation is you."

Raven squinted her eyes at the form. "You are the only one who should be begging for forgiveness"

His form tensed its shoulders for a moment. "Dragons never beg." He said darkly.

"And yet here you are, at my mercy." Raven gloated. She felt powerful against the one who betrayed her long ago.

The paper bristled and he raised his arm towards her. The paper stretched at an incredible rate and flew towards her with the intent to kill but a few inches before the paper made contact; it unraveled and fell to the floor harmlessly. Raven was standing just outside of the area that the book allowed its contents to travel. Clearly at a disadvantage, Malchior relaxed and spoke. "It seems that I am at your disposal. Name the service you want me to offer and I will name my price."

"What do you know of demons?" Raven asked. She first wanted to find out how much he knew about the problem at hand.

"Demons were weak but plentiful the last time I walked on this world. They had the potential to be a ruling force in the universe, but the presence of my kind suppressed their powers. When Rorek of Nol imprisoned me, it surely caused his precious city to be overrun by demons in a matter of years. My absence has clearly allowed their kind to fester across existence." He explained.

Raven was shocked to hear this. She always assumed that demons had been present since the dawn of the universe. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Raven said remembering that his words were laced with lies the last time they met.

Malchior chuckled. "We are past manipulation. You are no longer an impressionable girl and I have no patience for games. What would they achieve now?" He queried.

There was a crazy kind of sense to his words, but she knew that he was just telling her what she wanted to hear. Raven could tell that he started the game before she opened her mouth and he was going to do everything to free himself. "A demon called Trigon has influenced Beastboy and if we don't help him, it will kill him or worse."

"Ah, the green one. I believe he was the only one to console you after our encounter." Malchior scoffed at the memory. "I remember he barely posed a threat to me."

Raven flew into a rage, saying all the things she pent up since the encounter. "You took advantage of me! You lied and tricked your way into my affections and used them to achieve your ends! You are despicable and have no right to talk about him that way!" Her hands and eyes glowed with black energy and she was on the verge of finishing him once and for all.

Clearly not disturbed by the tirade, the paper nodded its head. "Perhaps, but it is true nevertheless. He must mean a great deal to you if are willing to go this far."

The energy diminished and receded back into her body. "Your services are all I need. What can you do for him?"

"I can leech the energy away until it is entirely gone. Whether your green friend is the same is entirely up to him. I imagine he is enduring quite an ordeal."

Satisfied that the method he described could work, she asked the obvious question. "What's your price?"

He tested the waters. "I assume freedom is out of the question."

Raven glared at him with fury in her eyes.

"If I cannot have freedom, then I choose information. The last time I saw the world, there were farms, castles, and villages. When I saw the world after that, it was like nothing I could have imagined. I want to know what I have missed this last millennia."

"I'll lend you a history book."

"Then you have hired the services of a dragon. I will need some items of a magical significance to perform the ritual."

"Tell me what you need, and I'll see what I can do." Raven didn't want to take any chances and planned to examine every item he listed to see if any would inadvertently release him.

He raised his left arm and ripped a piece of paper from it. The paper glowed for a moment, revealing a few items with precise measurements listed on it. Malchior walked forwards with the list outstretched, stopping inches before the barrier would stop him.

Raven took the paper and it left the circle without disintegrating. While she was looking over it, she heard something faint through the steel walls. She dismissed it as something unimportant and addressed Malchior once again.

She pointed at the ground firmly and stated "Don't go anywhere." She received a bow from him and with that, she left the room. The same noise followed the sound of the door, this time with some urgency to it. It took Raven a while to realize that Beastboy was shouting her name. She abandoned her confident posture and ran as fast as she could towards her room.

**(Meanwhile)**

It had been three days since Beastboy was locked up in Raven's room, or at least he thought it was three days. It was hard to tell when there are no windows. He also couldn't get up to check a clock because he was tied up and as suggestive as that sounded, he didn't enjoy it one bit.

The only way to know was when Raven came to feed him. It had mostly been vitamin drinks spiked with protein so as not to lose strength, but days of just that wore on a man. Sure, there was more than enough time to catnap and Beastboy had rested for about thirty hours now, but he hated the thought of being caged.

It must have been an instinct borne from every animal that slept within him, but he wanted to be free. Free to jump, fly, run, crawl, dig, swim, and climb until his muscles screamed. It was at that time that Beastboy felt alive.

At the same time, he understood the reasons for him to be chained up, he had a bad side that wouldn't go away, but he tried to struggle against his bonds. Raven had done a spectacular job at restraining him, as the first half hour proved unfruitful. The time spent after that made the straps across his chest loosed ever so slightly.

The extra room to wiggle only encouraged him to continue. Beastboy tested the waters by shaking his body violently for a few seconds. The effect that had was the worst thing he could have done, as the talisman on his chest jarred loose from its resting place and rested on the slightly slanted part of his left ribcage.

With every breath he took and with every expansion of his lungs, the talisman teetered dangerously closer to falling off him. He desperately tried to stop the one thing holding his evil twin back; twisting to the right, holding his breath, using Jedi mind tricks, but nothing worked. Beastboy knew that it would fall off in a few seconds, so he did the one thing left to him.

"RAVEN!" He yelled, and with that the talisman fell off, allowing an inhuman rush of power course through his body.

"It's about damn time." He heard something grumble from the corner of the room. Beastboy looked over to see a very torn up version of himself that was even paler than usual. "Do you have any idea how much that stings?"

"RAVEN!" He yelled again, hoping to draw her away from whatever she was doing.

"Afraid to face me yourself, are you?" It gloated. "Then again, it's not surprising. You never could handle adversity on your own."

Beastboy tried to smile it off. "Of course I can. I'd just like RAVEN to join the conversation. She's a hoot, isn't she?" He said raising his voice when mentioning Raven.

As if every movement caused it pain, the doppelgänger slowly moved towards Beastboy. "I'd say that we have about three minutes until my Master's daughter gets here." It put on a mock quizzical look. "What could we possibly do in the meantime?"

"Talking is nice!" Beastboy quipped quickly.

"True, but I'm not sure that the conversation will entirely sink in for you." It scanned Beastboy's body and marveled at the vulnerable position he was in. "And it would be a shame to waste this situation, wouldn't it?" It slowly reached to touch Beastboy's legs with a claw stretched.

"Knock knock!" Beastboy's eyes were wide with fear, but that was the only option left to him.

The doppelgänger stopped moving and instead started staring at him. Small beads of sweat formed on its brow and it started twitching as it was torn between answering him or torturing him. "Who's there?"

Beastboy would have to pull out all of the stops for this one. He was going to have to tell jokes to save his life. "Gorilla."

"Gorilla who?"

With his eyes wide open to see the slightest change in expression, he finished the joke. "Gorilla me a cheese sandwich, I'm hungry!"

There was absolutely no change in the doppelganger's facial expression.

Suspicious skeptical that his plan failed, Beastboy tried his hand with another joke. "Did you hear about the boy who laughed at his own jokes? He was beside himself!"

The doppelganger never changed its expression, oblivious to the humor that Beastboy tried to provide. "I have one. What do you do with an annoying child? You shut him up!"

"So it's like that?" Beastboy asked, realizing what was coming.

The same face looked back and nodded. "Yeah. It's like that." The clawed hand returned faster than before and punched Beastboy in the shin.

'"AAH!" He yelled out in pain. The feeling was far lesser in comparison than what he experienced before, but the agony was still excruciating. When the pain subsided, Beastboy tried to talk it off. "That wasn't very funny."

"No?" It said with mock confusion at his statement. "How about this one?" It grabbed his little finger and bent it backwards, breaking it in two places. Beastboy screamed again and the pain made his eyes water. It gloated over his defenseless form, but seemed disgusted by his reactions. "Stop being such a baby!" It mocked with emphasis on the last word. "Suck it up! How can you be my Master's vessel if you're a blubbering idiot?"

"I'll never have anything to do with Trigon!" Beastboy retorted. That outburst got him a solid punch to his ribcage, making him exhale harshly through gritted teeth. "Nope. Still not happening." Another strong punch came but it hit him square in the jaw. The skin broke against his teeth and his lips started to bleed.

Raven burst into the room to see the talisman on the ground and Beastboy breathing heavily with blood all over his face. She rushed over and picked up the talisman, ignoring the burns it inflicted on her, and placed it back on his chest. He calmed down considerably while she clasped her hand in pain. Panting, she sat with her back against the table and ripped a piece of her cloak off, wrapping it around the burns.

"Where have you been?" He asked.

Raven leaned her head against his arm, exhausted. "Is that how you talk to someone that just saved your life?"

Beastboy chuckled. "You must think you're some kind of hero."

"That makes sixty-five to your fifty-three." She said in reply.

He scoffed at her score-keeping. "Sixty-five? That thing with the cactus never counts!"

"Whatever you say. I just made a deal with him."

Beastboy licked his lips to remove some of the blood from his mouth. "You shouldn't have done that."

She sighed. "I know, but it's your last hope. Without him, my Father's influence will spread through you and create another portal for His re-entry."

He nodded. "But without me, Trigon has nothing."

Raven hit her head against his arm. "Not happening."

"I'm in no rush to die, Rae. I just know this wouldn't be the worst way to go. Save the planet, right?"

She shook her head. "If you're going to be like that, I have some errands to run." She said and started to get up.

"Wait." Beastboy said with some urgency. "It's late." He furrowed his brow. "At least I think it is. Can you please stay here? I'd like some company that isn't so annoying."

Raven paused and realized that he was talking about his other self. She looked at him with a smirk in her eyes. "So you admit you aren't the best company."

"I admit nothing!" He protested. "But what kind of world do we live in when a man's evil twin doesn't laugh at his jokes?"

"But you said the company was annoying." She reasoned.

"Well if my evil twin is my opposite, which makes me amazingly interesting by default!" He retorted.

Stunned by his use of logic, she nodded to him and grabbed a pillow from the bed in the corner of her room. "You win this round."

Beastboy felt a swell of pride. "Don't mention it." He said with a cocky attitude.

"I never will." She replied. She lay down next to him and they both fell asleep near each other.

**(Scene Break)**

Raven rearranged her room whenever there was a complicated ritual to complete or a long marathon of ancient-book reading. This time however, she had to surpass every boundary she set before and deal with a second language that was largely unknown to her. She did her best to translate it, but many of the subtleties of the language of Dragons escaped her. Her only way to combat Malchior's obvious attempt to betray her was to examine every word and make sure it did nothing to affect his prison.

The ritual seemed very simple in itself, with only a few simple ingredients and words that had only one meaning. Every indication showed that the ritual was for an energy transferral, and for even a split second, Raven thought Malchior might hold up his end of the bargain. The only exception to this was the small quantity of spider blood required as a catalyst. She knew that the blood of an Arachnid was rich in copper, which was a particularly good conductor. It was just that the procurement would take many days to accumulate that amount.

Nevertheless, she was able to obtain the right amount and the time for the ritual was at hand.

Beastboy had to be heavily sedated for the reason that if something were to go wrong, there would be no chance that any of his more powerful forms could break loose. The book containing Malchior was moved back into Raven's room for him to be able to cast the spell effectively. His paper form traced an ancient symbol on his chest and turned to Raven, who was watching from the side of the room. "The procedure is ready, Raven. May I begin?" He asked.

Raven nodded and crossed her fingers beneath her cloak. She inched forwards and bit her lip in anticipation of what was to come.

"Hezberek Translatum Anima Fulgor Rex!" Malchior chanted. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then an unnatural wind filled the room, twisting around and sending loose papers into the air. The wind flew faster and faster until it became a whirlwind of energy and light, forming with Beastboy at its epicenter.

The same whirlwind that set itself above the sedated Beastboy also engulfed the paper form of Malchior. The twisting maelstrom completely hid him from view, though a massive build up of light and energy emitted from the inside. There was a loud crackle of electricity and the storm around both parties dissipated. Beastboy looked much healthier than he had done before and it was clear that the ritual worked. However, when Raven looked at Malchior, she saw something that truly frightened her.

A human being stood where only forgotten paper had previously occupied. The man was breathtaking to behold with rosy pale skin and a flowing white mane behind him. The only mark on the body was a burnt symbol on his chest that matched the blood outline on Beastboy's chest. The form mimicked what the warrior Rorek looked like in his prime and was completely naked. However weak or fragile the body may have seemed, it exuded an aura of power and might. The man stood for a moment with his head raised to the heavens, acknowledging the apotheosis of its new existence.

"The dragon is free." said the calm and enchanted voice. Encased in his new veil of flesh, Malchior closed his eyes while Raven only opened hers wider. She watched as he flexed his tapered muscles and ran his fingers through his alabaster hair. He finally realized where he was and looked to the only other conscious person in the room.

"I looked over the ritual myself." Raven exclaimed. "This was never supposed to happen!"

Malchior smirked. "The energy was transferred out, just like I said. The only thing I left out was where it would go."

Furious that she was betrayed yet again, Raven assumed a battle stance and threw her hands in front of her. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She screamed and a black spear shot out towards the new being in the room. It should have pierced his heart, but the second it touched his akin, the spear dissipated and fizzled out of existence. Raven stumbled back, mortified that her attack had no effect.

He laughed and it sent a dreaded chill up her spine. "Since I absorbed your father's energy, all demonic attacks are harmless against me!"

"Necronom Hezberek Mortix!" Raven hated to use the dark spell she learned from the dragon who betrayed her, but she was running out of options. The unstable energy poured out of her mouth and eyes with tremendous force and flooded towards Malchior. The dark magic surrounded him, but instead of agony or discomfort, he seemed to revel in it.

Raven exhausted her reserves of power in the attack and when it was over, she fell on her knees weakly. The magic encompassing Malchior not only faded away, but also made his body look rejuvenated and more powerful than ever before.

"Did you think that I would teach you a spell unless I was sure that it would never work on me?" Malchior gloated. "That particular one converts your energy into a substance that is but sweet nectar to me."

On the verge of fainting, Raven tried to muster up the courage for one final spell. "A... Aldruon..." She sputtered out.

Recognizing what she planned to do, Malchior shot forward with inhuman speed and clamped his hand over her mouth. "Silence, child." He hissed while staring straight into her eyes. "I will be locked in a cage no more!" Confident that she would not try the same mistake again, he removed his hand and looked up and down her body.

Raven could feel his terrible gaze on her, boring past her robe and looking at the skin inside.

Malchior wore the most awful smile. "You gave me a new body, Raven. Care to help me test it?" He grabbed her cloak and tore it off, flinging it to the far corner of the room. She tried to run away, but he took her by the elbow and threw her against one of the many bookcases.

Her back hit one of the shelves with force and she fell to the ground. Raven then heard slow and steady steps towards her, so she stood up to face him. She summoned up the last of her energy and pushed him away. He barely acknowledged her attempt at resistance and threw a powerful punch at her gut, winding her. As she fell against the bookcase, he grabbed at the top of one of the straps on the leotard and tore it away, revealing her small and supple breasts.

Malchior snorted at what he saw. "How could I have thought you were beautiful? You aren't even impressive where it counts."

"Beastboy..." She whimpered quietly.

Malchior spared a glance at the changeling, confirming that he never moved a muscle since he was sedated in the first place. "Your precious Beastboy is so out of it that even if Trigon himself possessed him, nothing would happen."

She was grabbed roughly by the shoulder, turned around, and forced to bend over with her sobbing face against one of the lower shelves of the bookcase. She was helpless as he ripped the last of her clothes off and positioned himself behind her.

Malchior didn't waste any time and quickly and painfully thrust himself into her. Without any form of foreplay beforehand, the first stroke grated at her skin and tore through her hymen causing searing pain for Raven. A very thin smirk appeared on his face when he saw the blood, as it meant that she would remember this forever.

Blood and tears mixed on Raven's face as the dragon thrust into her a second time, and then a third in quick succession. He chose to take it a step further and dug his nails into her hips, allowing for a better grip and marking her body for as long as she would live. He roughly traced the curves of her body and always kept a firm grip of her body, so as not to let her escape his grasp easily.

After the seventh stroke, Malchior and Raven heard a resounding crack behind them. He withdrew himself from her and pushed her weak body to the floor, turning to look after he did so.

The view behind him was that of nothing, specifically an absence of something that was there before. Upon closer inspection, the restraints on the table that held Beastboy were either ripped off or torn in half. The table itself was empty and Beastboy was nowhere to be found. It was at that time that Malchior felt a liquid on his shoulder. Unused to the feeling, he turned his head to investigate and found a vicious clawed hand digging into his collarbone. The strangest thing to him was that the hand was an impossible color; green.

Immediately, the hand catapulted Malchior up with such force that it sent him through the steel ceiling like it was paper. He flew through two floors and landed on the roof. He skidded along the rough material covering the floor and jerked to a stop by colliding with an air vent, leaving a considerable amount of skin behind.

While Malchior was still recovering from the attack, a dark green monster jumped through the newly created path to the roof and landed right beside the dragon. Malchior barely had time to react when the creature grabbed his foot and vaulted him so far away from the island and so fast across the bay that he skipped across the water three times before sinking below the rippling surface.

Raven dragged herself to a corner and glanced out the window to see the bane of her existence soar into the distance. Just as she was wondering what threw him, the monster flew down the hole and landed in the ritual chamber with a force that it shook the bookshelves and pushed away the dust that gathered on the floor since the Tower's creation.

The naked Raven tried to shrink herself away from the newcomer so as to avoid sharing the same fate as the one who violated her. Although she was in a weakened state, she had already put the pieces together that a green monstrosity that defeated something evil meant that Beastboy had once again saved her, but the voice of Reason inside her told her that everything that just happened was impossible, all while Fear and Timid wailed with pain and anguish.

Beastboy had been restrained with reinforced leather straps, bound with an Nth medallion, and sedated far beyond the limits of what any one human or animal could withstand. The very fact that it could break through all of that was nothing short of terrifying and she was sure that it saw her as a threat to be dealt with or just another female to force himself on.

Just as she was trying to make sense of what just happened, she felt a shadow and saw the green creature looming over her. Still feeling vulnerable and afraid, she weakly tried to cover herself with her arms to dissuade it from trying anything. Raven was shocked to feel something warm envelope her and saw that it placed her discarded cloak over her body.

It tucked the robe around her body so as not to allow heat escape and careful to avoid aggravating the bruises and sores that were forming on her body. The monster was now close enough to feel the warmth of its breath on her. Raven looked up to meet its eyes and though there should have been the cheerful disposition that was always behind them, she saw eyes that were glazed over and unseeing, what one would see from an unconscious person.

When it was finished, it gave a grunt of approval and knelt beside her and lay down with its back touching her as an extra source of warmth. Raven heard one last growl from it and she could have sworn sounded like "You're welcome." With that, the powerful aura it gave out vanished and it shrunk back to the gangly teen it was originally.

Raven pulled her robe tighter to her body and shuffled ever so slightly closer to Beastboy. Her eyes darted around the room, unable to close even for a moment.

Malchior could be back at any moment. She despised him and every second he spent on her and hated herself for not seeing it coming. Now he had a free reign in this world, but all she could do was cower in a corner and clutch to a piece of shredded clothing, hoping that it would protect her from harm. It was her fault that everything happened.

She could have seen through Malchior's plan.

She could have destroyed the book the first time she encountered it.

She could have dealt with Beastboy's problem a different way.

She could have seen the warning signs before it got out of hand.

She could have taken the shot from Brother Blood.

She could have destroyed the chamber before it did any damage.

She could have fought her father sooner instead of waiting for her friends to do it for her.

She could have actively worked to stop herself from becoming the portal.

She could have never showed herself to the Titans in the first place, then none of this would have happened.

She could have...

She could have...

She could have...

**(To Be Continued)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest. **

**I always imagined Malchior's book as something from the Myst series, because there are many similarities in regards to prison books and a page that shows the occupant inside. Just a passing thought, as I played the first few games and read the books and adored them. **

**As for the rape scene, I'd like to make it abundantly clear that I don't usually support it and I didn't enjoy writing it. It was planned from the conception of the plot and I can't argue with myself, can I? I'd also like to say that I have nothing against small breasts. I'm the only guy I know that prefers small ones. **

**Anyways, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year! Though I do hope you read and enjoy this, I also would rather that you enjoy the holiday! As for next chapter, we deal with a newly released dragon and an extremely distracted author. That would be me. By the time the next chapter is released, I will have an incredible gaming laptop.**

**Amenson out, but not for the count!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V: Silent Self-Hatred**

**Behold! This chapter was concieved and written all on a brand new Alienware laptop. The best money I've ever spent! Back on track, This chapter is more of a recovery from the events of the last chapter. For this to function as a full and encompassing story, I can't have action all the time. It will pick up again later, and I hope to see us together for it!**

**Previously:** _Malchior could be back at any moment. She despised him and every second he spent on her and hated herself for not seeing it coming. Now he had a free reign in this world, but all she could do was cower in a corner and clutch to a piece of shredded clothing, hoping that it would protect her from harm. It was her fault that everything happened._

Raven had spent the last six hours going over everything in her mind repeatedly. For every single second that passed, she either scolded herself for being so naive or blamed herself for the smallest of misgivings over the course of her life.

She could have stopped reading and gone to the movies with her friends.

She could have stayed in civilian clothes more often

She could have spent more time with the honorary Titans.

She could have been nicer to her teammates.

She could have chosen a different color for her cloak..,

She was so caught up in self-pity and contempt that she never noticed the sun setting or the moon rising. She didn't even notice the movement of the boy in front of her. She didn't notice how he sat up, rubbed his eyes, or looked with shock at his surroundings.

What she did notice was when he gently touched her shoulder, to which she shied away as if his touch burned. The sudden motion shifted the thick fabric around her and the cold air in the room crept through the seams, making contact with Raven's already clammy skin. However uncomfortable it was, she didn't register it and stared ahead without much regard to recent events.

Disturbed that Raven had become this way, Beastboy took his own shirt off and placed it around her shoulders. Raven made a jerking motion at that touch too, so he gently touched her jaw and turned it so that her red and sleepless eyes met his.

"Raven." He said her name, but there was no recognition in her eyes. "We need to leave, but you have to trust me!" Her eyes stared straight through his and onto the ceiling above him. "Raven," He repeated. "You won't be hurt with me." Raven broke away from his gaze and stared straight ahead again. He hoped that meant that she trusted him, if only for now.

Beastboy knelt down beside her and put a hand on her back and one in the crook of her knees. When he was sure that she was secure and that she wouldn't fall if she moved, he picked her up bridal-style and walked towards the door, trying to ignore that he was so close to her naked body.

While he was walking through the tower, she remained much the same, but when he started walking down the stairs, she thrust her arm around his shoulder and buried her head into his chest, afraid to fall. This only prompted him to hold her closer as they reached their destination.

Beastboy took Raven into his room and it took a few minutes of coaxing to get her to let go and convince her that she was going to be safe. She was propped up against a few pillows with one clutched close to her chest while he searched his closet for clothes to wear. He pulled out a clean uniform and put it on while taking some pants and a couple of thick sweaters for Raven. It took some assisting, but she was able to get dressed.

Once they were both prepared, Beastboy took Raven to the docks at the base of the Tower and got into one of the boats used for emergencies. He moved Raven to the side and told her that he would be right back. He ran back inside and grabbed one of the industrial sized duffel bags that Cyborg used when he hauled around a new transmission and shifted into a gorilla.

Using his massive bulk, he rushed around the Tower, collecting important items and artifacts from both his and Raven's rooms. With the duffel bag now full of valuable books, comics and a unique mirror, he ran to the common room where he accessed the console and activated the emergency program to transfer all data to Titans East. He thought he forgot something, but shook it off as he ran back to the boat to find Raven exactly where he left her. He followed the simple instructions on the console and the boat sped away from Titans Tower, never to return again.

**(Scene Break)**

Malchior rose from the sea covered in algae and seaweed; the result of learning to swim in water that had waves thirty feet high. The human body was very uncomfortable to move in for him. The dragon was used to being able to fly, jump, and move across long distances in a very short time. The shoulders had many limits to how long it could stretch and how far back it could go. The spine was considerably straighter than he imagined and his ability to crawl was severely restricted. The jaw was so shallow it could barely be used for the consumption of meat and from what he understood, the stomach could only process cooked food.

No more could the dragon eat a herd of sheep with a single bite of his maw or topple an army of men away with a sweep of his claws. Upon looking at his reflection in the water he left behind, the body wasn't even intimidating.

And Malchior tried. He tried desperately to recreate his body in the form he loved so very much, but the energy residing in the green boy simply wasn't enough to create the complicated structure that formed a dragon. If he attempted it, only a drake the size of a cat would be made. It was nothing short of humiliating that Malchior had to don the skin of the one who imprisoned him.

He was distracted by a rumbling noise, so Malchior stumbled towards it. He came across a highway and crouched down to examine the pavement. Just as he wondered how it was made, headlights rested on him from a massive hulk of metal and rubber heading towards him.

The driver saw the naked man in the monstrosities path and honked on the horn to get him to move. Right as the vehicle reached Malchior, he stood up and outstretched his arm towards a grill on the front, using black energy to stop it in its tracks.

The occupant inside tore loose from the aging seatbelt and was catapulted above both his truck and the albino man that stopped it. He skidded to a halt a few meters away and thanks to his thick leather jacket, the trucker jumped to his feet without a scratch. "What the Hell did you do?" He yelled at the naked man while walking towards his truck. After a thorough inspection of the now-steaming bumper, the trucker foolishly turned his rage to Malchior, who was staring straight past him. "I hope you have insurance pretty-boy because this is gonna cost you!"

Malchior looked at the raving man beside him and sized the clothes up. Deciding that he needed new attire, he said "I need your clothes, your boots, and your metal cart."

The trucker scoffed. "Did I hear you right? Listen here, freak..." He jabbed a finger into Malchior's shoulder, to which the dragon reacted by grabbing the poor man by the throat.

"I never said you had a choice." Malchior growled darkly. He brought the trucker's face close to his own and stared deep into the quivering eyes. Almost immediately, a beam of light connected the two and the man unleashed a haunting shriek as his entire body glowed with steadily building force. All of the memories and knowledge of the trucker poured into Malchior's mind as the body turned to ash, making the clothes drop to the ground with a cloud of dust.

A very poorly remembered and incredibly biased version of Earth history flowed through Malchior and he reveled in the apparent bloodshed. "Humans never change, do they?" He said to himself. He picked up the dusty clothes and put them on before walking to the Volvo 670 18-wheeler which held an incredible amount of sentiment to the previous owner. Malchior got inside and started the engine, disengaging the trailer before making a U-Turn and driving back to the Tower from which he emerged.

**(Scene Break)**

The two superheroes rushed into the bunker located in the mountains overlooking Jump City covered with salt water and sweat. They had evacuated Titans Tower and relocated to the closest safe-house to it. The layout was much the same as all of the other Titan bunkers located in secret locations all around the room and as Beastboy helped design them, he was able to quickly shut off the security system and prepare for temporary residence.

The boat ride to the mainland had been extremely bumpy and Raven was jolted back into reality from the frothing waves, if only partially. She was able to walk by herself and was somewhat aware of her surroundings, but she still needed gentle direction so she didn't lose track. While Beastboy took the heavy pack to the sleeping quarters, she moved to the main part of the bunker and sat down in front of a gas fireplace while holding her hands out.

Beastboy joined Raven after finding a spot for the items he brought, but was concerned that she still wasn't entirely there. She had spent at least five minutes trying to draw heat from a fireplace that wasn't on. Moments later, she was covered in a thick woollen blanket and beside a steadily burning fire.

Even though she had moved from a dangerous area and into the safety of a bunker, she still tore herself down about all of her wrongdoings in life. Raven didn't realize what was slowly happening, but the subject of her self-punishment had changed from miscellaneous events in her life to specific instances involving disagreements with the only male survivor of the Titans.

**(Scene Break)**

Malchior stood at the base of Titans Tower with rage filling his eyes. This had been his grave for far too long and now that he was free again, the grave had to be destroyed. Using the power of darkness he had recently obtained, Malchior slowly rose from the shore with fire in hand and rained an inferno of brimstone upon the steel rivets.

Glass panes melted away, steel beams erupted and broke apart, computer screens exploded, wooden panels vaporized, and entire sections of the Tower simply vanished. The blaze ignited the gas lines which caused secondary explosions that made the lower floors shudder and crumble. The main power generator imploded in on itself and caused a chain reaction that blew out every security turret, electronic appliance, and light bulb inside. The entire structure of what was once a symbol of hope groaned from the excess of stress and temperature. Pieces of the island collapsed into the basement as the support beams holding the Tower up got crushed under the collapsing weight. With a final sigh, the massive home of justice and righteousness disappeared into oblivion below a cackling man surrounded with a glowing nimbus of ember.

Malchior lowered himself into the wreckage, untouched by the flames of his own creation and happened upon the still intact room where he was summoned twice and subsequently defeated. The table that restrained Beastboy was scorched and only burned paper remained on what was once a full library. The only thing that was untouched by the onslaught of heat was the pedestal that still held the white prison.

As if guided by destiny, the hand of Malchior slowly reached out and took the cursed book into its grasp. Its touch brought air into lungs that forgot to breathe out of anticipation. Its familiar power swept through the body that was once held captive by it. And now the artefact that imprisoned the last of the dragons was in the possession of the same being.

Wanting to show his freedom to the world, Malchior rose with book in hand high above the wreckage and gazed upon the world he would know of soon. He brought the book to his chest and let go. The book hovered in position, but soon it suffered a curse of its own. The book slowly flew higher in the air, shuddering with unnatural energy as it did. A small crack appeared on the cover, giving way to a line of light that shone beneath it. Another crack appeared, revealing more light within, and then another and another. The light could no longer be contained within the book, forcing the numerous cracks to coalesce and causing the ancient artefact to explode in a massive show of energy and force. The water surrounding the barren island depressed with the shockwave and a large tidal wave expanded from that one spot.

For the first time in a millennia, the dragon was free. The truth set in and Malchior showed his newfound place in the modern world by unleashing a potent breath of fire into the skies above, lighting the heavens and gracing the clouds with powerful bursts of thunder. The outburst of energy left him aching in all the right places and glad that he would not return to a dusty prison. Raven and the green boy had clearly escaped the destruction of their home, but they just had their last hope of stopping him destroyed.

Still elated, Malchior returned to his mode of transportation and started the engine. His next destination was in a place now called 'Nevada' and from what little the memories of the truck driver showed, it was going to be full of glittering stars and sounds of metal clinking together. Surely the place he was going was a coliseum of epic proportions.

**(Scene Break)**

Beastboy was sitting by the fire when he saw reflections of light and rumbles of explosions in the bunker. As he went to the window to investigate, he watched in horror as the home that he had lived in for many years ripped apart piece by piece. He watched as an explosion rippled through the common room in which he spent many hours watching television. He watched as the protrusion containing his room fell, totally destroying a large number of comics and video games he stashed in there. He watched as the rock where he gazed upon the endless wonders of the world fall into a chasm. He watched as the entire structure of the impenetrable Titan Tower crumbled and vanished. He finally watched as Malchior took the book that contained him and destroyed it, removing any hope of dealing with the dragon ever again.

Feeling beaten and tired, he walked back to where Raven watched the flames dance and writhe in unison. Her eyes slowly drooped as the result of a lack of sleep, so he picked her up and took her to the sleeping quarters.

She had her back to the corner with her knees drawn close to her chest and a purple blanket draped around her shoulders. He made sure that she was comfortable in the Spartan style room and rose to go to his own. Just as he stood up, he felt something grip his pant legs.

Her expression had not changed, but her skin looked increasingly pale and clammy. "Water." She croaked out.

Beastboy knelt down beside her. "Anything." He replied.

He got up once more to leave, but Raven's vice grip remained. He knelt down once more and gave a quizzical look, which was only met with Raven shaking her head. He drew her face towards his with gentle fingers and looked directly into her eyes.

"I'm going to get you water, but you have to trust me. We are safe in here." He said putting emphasis on his words, but was met with her denial again. "If anything bad happens, just count to three and I will be right beside you. I promise."

Raven broke their contact and looked forward. Beastboy took it to mean she agreed and trusted him. He got up and turned towards the doorway. As he walked out of the room, he could have swore that his reflection winked from the mirror on the wall.

Beastboy walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Raven and something for himself. He was able to find the cupboard with glasses, but just as he reached for one, he heard a male voice behind him.

"You're welcome."

He spun around to find the intruder only to find himself face to face with an impossible person. Beastboy was standing in front of his doppelganger once more. There were differences in the appearances of the counterpart now than before. The current one had normal coloring to its skin (Or as normal skin can be when its green), and the eyes were pure white, no longer piercing red. Even the stance it adopted was much humbler and less aggressive.

"What are you doing here?" Beastboy asked with fear in his eyes.

"Relax, Garfield. I mean you no harm. " The doppelganger hopped up on a countertop and sat there. "Or at least, unless you do something stupid again."

"Relax? How can I relax when the evil twin that was supposed to be removed is right here? How can I relax if all you ever want to do is hurt me and hurt everyone else? How!" Beastboy said angrily.

"That's the thing. It was removed, or at least most of it was. The actual entity itself can't be removed unless it's by the being who created it, in other words Trigon. What actually happened was the life-force of the entity transferred to Malchior`s new body, which you saw earlier. The entity still remains, but it is only a husk. I just filled it out."

Beastboy had trouble keeping up, but got most of it. "So you're like a hermit crab."

It smiled. "Just so."

Beastboy realized that Malchior could not be bound by that prison book again, meaning they had no way to stop the dragon from doing what he wanted. "Even if you're telling the truth, we have no way to stop that guy. He has a new body because of me and I don't know if Raven will come back to us. It's hopeless."

A small epiphany occurred to the doppelganger. "I'm sure that whatever you do, you'll land on your feet!" It said in a joking manner.

Beastboy instantly lost his train of thought and blinked at the reference.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" It joked.

A sly smile appeared on Beastboy's face. "Curiosity killed the cat!"

Nodding, the doppelganger continued. "Fair enough, but you can't keep a good dog down!"

Beastboy scoffed. "I hope your bite is worse than your bark."

"Oh, bite me!"

That last remark caused both the twin and Beastboy to burst out laughing, the latter forming tears in his eyes. The laughter died down and Beastboy leaned against the wall with a large smile still plastered on his face. "You're alright." He said.

It nodded after getting approval from the original. "When was I not?"

"See, I couldn't do this with the other guy."

"I don't know what was wrong with him. I mean Gorilla me a cheese sandwich? Hilarious!" It chuckled at the memory.

"I know, right?" Beastboy said. All of a sudden, a shattering was heard from the room where he left Raven. He glanced at his twin who looked just as worried as he was.

"Go!" It shouted and Beastboy dashed towards the sleeping quarters.

As he ran towards the room, he heard a very faint voice counting.

_"One... Two... Three"_

Just as she said the last number, Beastboy reached her side. She opened her eyes to see him right over her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She then looked at the far side of the room where she threw a lamp that broke the mirror on the wall.

Beastboy held her warmly. "What is it? What did you see?" He asked her.

Raven dug her way closer to him. "Him." Was the only word she used to describe it.

**(To Be Continued)**

**The responses to the last chapter were so meaningful that it gave me something to smile about for the entirety of the last week. I had no idea that my words could invoke such emotion, though I am very glad that it did. My deepest thanks to everyone who reviewed and my sincerest gratitude to those who took the time to read this. It feels amazing to know that my words are somewhat valuable.**

**Amenson out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI: Unknown Purposes**

**The recognized distance between Earth and Tamaran is 26 light-years. For the sake of this story, I'm going to throw out Einstein's laws because there's no way that it takes 26 years for a one way trip at the speed of light. I'm going to assume that Starfire can fly much faster than light and the entire trip takes about five days. Just so we're clear, Tamaran to Earth takes five days.**

**Edit: After several months, I found the thing I thought I missed. It has been altered appropriately and fixed. **

**Previously:** _"One... Two... Three"_

_Just as she said the last number, Beastboy reached her side. She opened her eyes to see him right over her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She then looked at the far side of the room where she threw a lamp that broke the mirror on the wall._

_Beastboy held her warmly. "What is it? What did you see?" He asked her._

_Raven dug her way closer to him. "Him." Was the only word she used to describe it._

The sun rose on an orange landscape, lighting up a large structure on a mountaintop. The citadel shone with brilliance amidst a wasteland or rock and moss. Starfire stood atop the highest spire overlooking the kingdom, taking in the sunlight and marvelling at the sheer beauty of her planet. Wind blew through the vibrant crimson hair and across her newly designed clothes.

The feast celebrating her return had lasted for three suns. The entire populace had been in attendance and the entertainment was exuberant. Three hundred gorpa-beasts were slaughtered for the occasion, filling the plates of one thousand of Tamaran's finest warriors. The finest wine barrels were broken out and over half of it fell on the floor from the customary feasting and rough-housing expected from a race that didn't have a word for 'Nice'. The princess had been the center of attention for every second of the event and it would have been considered offensive if she stopped eating. There were times when Starfire wished that she had a tenth stomach.

The tally at the end of the feast included six marriages, fifty two put in prison for destroying royal property, and nineteen challenges for a duel to the death. A happier occasion could not be held and Starfire was glad to be back.

She had been proposed to by both a man and a woman on the same day, but she politely declined. Something was holding her back and Starfire had known the feeling before. On Earth, it was called the 'Homesick', but she felt it while in the first home she had. No matter how joyful the reunion was with her people and her guardian, it was more like a short visit than a homecoming.

Her memories were interrupted by a beeping from a pocket on her belt. She took out the Titan communicator and opened the lid. A blinking message revealed itself on the screen.

**"Tower destroyed**

**Malchior free**

**Stay away."**

Starfire's reaction to the news was not shown in her face, but through her muscles, which destroyed the device from crushing it into scraps. No sooner than she left Earth, the need to return gnawed at her soul, so she made preparations to return to Earth. To home.

**(Scene Break)**

"Good morning all you out on the highway! This is Tom on 1150, and as always, the latest news start our broadcast and we have a big story to tell you! To assist us with figuring out what happened, we brought in one of America's top villain analysts, Robert Smith. Thank you for joining us."

"Glad to be of service."

"Now Robert, yesterday at approximately 11 pm, a man was seen destroying Titans Tower, a symbol of hope for all and the permanent residence of the most dedicated superheroes we have ever known. Why would this happen and what's in store for us now?"

"Well Tom, this new villain left as soon as he came. What we would assume from the act of destruction he committed was that it was a show of power, removing an iconic landmark so that he could come in and make his demands. The strange thing about this is that not a trace of him has been found and he made no attempt to distinguish himself in any way."

"So what you're saying is we don't know what he'll do next?"

"Exactly. There have been no demands to the mayor's office and no requests for recognition at any of the radio or television stations. This is potentially the worst kind of villain because we don't know who he is, what he wants, or if he intends to stay. The only thing we can do now is wait to see what happens."

"That was Roger Smith, senior analyst from Washington University. We move over now to..."

Malchior turned off the radio and continued to speed down the dusty highway. The technology in the small cabin may have been old and worn, but it was amazing nonetheless.

Voices from a box that talked about world news and sporting events. Moving pictures that revealed the roads long before seeing them. Seats with padding in them to make long drives more comfortable. For glorified monkeys, humans were nothing if not resourceful.

The only problem with driving was the speed of the small trucks around him. They were all incredibly slow and seemed to be annoyed as he passed them by. The accelerator never left the floor of Malchior's truck and every car had to swerve to avoid being hit. Why would they drive slowly when there was a destination to get to? After an hour of the trip, he heard a strange wailing behind him. He looked into the mirror and saw what looked to be a tiny horse with red and blue flashes emitting from it. Malchior decided not to notice it and kept his foot to the floor.

A police motorcycle had received a message from dispatch about a truck that was going way past the posted speed limit. The rider joined the main highway about a mile behind Malchior and sped to intercept the rogue truck. Once it was in sight, he put on his siren and tried to make the truck pull over. The driver of the truck seemed to ignore the attempt, so the policeman drove up beside the driver's side and pulled out his bullhorn.

"This is the police! Pull over immediately!" He shouted through the device. When he looked into the cabin, he saw a man staring right through him. "I repeat, pull over!" He stated again.

Malchior smiled in amusement at the feeble attempt to slow him down. When the policeman pulled out his gun, the humor left his face. Malchior summoned a ball of flame and shot it at the pavement below the motorcycle. The flame missed, but the policeman swerved out of the way so suddenly that it toppled over and careened off the side of the highway. The policeman got out of his bike and watched as the monster sped away unhindered. He reached for his radio. "Dispatch, this is unit 148. Ignore all complaints about a speeding truck. The man has a flame thrower. Repeat, ignore all complaints about a speeding truck."

**(Scene Break)**

It had been a week since Malchior attacked her, but Raven still felt terrible. She had been betrayed by the last being she put hope in and had unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. All of the hurt that she suffered growing up only served to harden her against a cruel and unforgiving world, but she fell prey to an enchanting face and kind words.

After the last experience with Malchior, Raven thought she couldn't be duped ever again, remaining ever vigilant and shooting down any attempts by others to get close to her. She felt hardened and strong, seeing the bad in everyone and always thinking the worst scenario in every situation.

All of her efforts proved to be for naught as the exact same thing happened again, however obvious the attempt was. The combination of the betrayal and violation threw all of her emotions into turmoil. The form of Bravery inside her was drained of its essence and was now only a shadow of what it once was. Without Bravery to watch over the others and keep them under control, everything else fell apart.

When Raven was growing up, she relied on Happy to distract her from all of the teasing and bullying she experienced. She relied on Knowledge to guide her through the Azarathian training she was forced to receive. When she ran away after discovering her heritage, she relied on Timid to steer away from anyone who would shun or use her. The last thing she wanted was to turn out like her mother, a woman who was convinced to join a cult only to be raped and impregnated by Trigon himself. It was only when she met the other Titans that her true nature was revealed.

Bravery was first used at the same time as the Titans, slowly growing stronger with every victory. The presence of equally heroic teammates only served to inspire her to be better, though she kept it to herself. Bravery became so strong and loyal that it took the position of mediator as it kept the rest of Raven's emotions under control. It kept Timid and Fear from demoralizing the others, it allowed Happy and Rude to enjoy their domains in peace, it helped Knowledge and Reason give the right advice without going off track, and it suppressed Rage to the point of submission. The loss of such a vital emotion resulted in chaos.

Without the watchful emotion keeping all of the others under control, they fractured. Every single version of Raven's consciousness was in uproar. They all reacted to recent events differently, each causing their own unique form of destruction and reconstruction. Without any synchronization, Raven's ability to channel energy was thrown completely out of the proverbial window. If Beastboy hadn't been there to get her out, she would have been powerless to stop Malchior and perished in the ruins.

Malchior.

Someone said that humanity was corrupt and greedy, that there were no limits to depravity when someone wanted something. She knew the truth. It's not just humans that are so evil, every being in the universe was the same. Humans, Dragons, Demons, they were all the same.

Every day, she tried to forget where she was from; to fit in among the humans on Earth. All her efforts were for naught. Everywhere she went, people shied away from her, stared from afar, and muttered hurtful things behind her back. Nevertheless, she tried harder to be human, to be accepted by others and appreciated by what she could be, not by what she was. Raven had always denied her demonic heritage, but there was one thing demons had that humans did not. Demons didn't lie about being evil. Demons never hid their true intentions or their true nature. But then again, neither did Beastboy.

Beastboy.

Raven shook her head. She didn't deserve his actions or his attention. She couldn't even talk to him. She had been able to since the beginning, but what would she say? "What the hell were you thinking, taking the blast for me?" " Sorry for dooming the world... again?" "Thank you for rescuing me from my own mistakes?" "Why did you help me?"

Everything she could say would only drive him away. He had to have hated her. He had to have helped out of nothing but pity or a misplaced sense of loyalty. She was only allowed to stay in the Titans for her powers, but Beastboy... He was everything she wasn't.

Popular

Charismatic

Carefree

Honest

Good

What was she in comparison?

Lonely

Depressing

Emotionless

Deceiving

Creepy

A weak girl who makes terrible decisions with dangerous people she doesn't fully understand. Raven then realized that she was exactly like her mother, no matter how it's dressed up.

Raven shrunk back into the corner she was occupying. She didn't deserve to be treated with any kind of respect. She had no right to friends or family. She was destined to ruin the relationships she created, destroy the lives around her, and make a pigs breakfast out of every attempt at being normal.

All she could do was sit back and watch as the world burns around her.

**(Scene Break)**

For the first time in his life, Beastboy felt bad playing video games. Normally, he would dismiss the thought as crazy, but for the past few days, there was absolutely nothing to do.

There was no food to forage or supplies to find because the bunker was designed to last at least a year.

There were no villains to defeat in the city as they were officially retired, and even if they weren't, the Titans were a fraction of what they once were.

There was no way to hunt Malchior down like the animal that he was and no way to determine what his next move would be.

The other issue Beastboy was useless with was Raven. The ice queen with an infamous glare and an equally hard outer shell was now just a frightened girl who never talked. Sure, he had gotten a word here and there, but other than slow nods there was no communication between them. At the start of the whole ordeal, he chalked it up to the trauma of what happened. It had been many days since then and he saw intelligence when he looked into her eyes, but still no words.

She had also had frequent visions of Malchior in every dark corner, it seemed, the first instance being the shattered mirror when they first arrived. After that, the triggers varied greatly, though each one more subtle than the next. Whenever they were apart and he heard her count, he was always by her side before she finished. Even when they were together, she would see shadows in the darkness and hear the whispers of dragons from nowhere.

Beastboy was always able to get a rise out of her in one way or another and frequently worked his way into her life. He was there when she became the portal, when she lost control of her emotions, and when Malchior made his first appearance to the Titans. He literally saw every side of her when he used that mirror of hers. So why was it that in her hour of need that he couldn't do anything to help her?

He tried his best to accommodate her every need, but the only thing he could do was make sure that she ate and drank enough to stay healthy. He was taught by the Doom Patrol that no matter how people are treated, they always bounce back. This was the mindset they used if ever they interrogated someone. He could force an answer out of her or be rough, but he just couldn't do it. With Raven, he could only ever take it slow, not push or demand everything. Time would heal.

His doppelganger didn't offer much guidance on the subject. How could it? It knew everything that Beastboy himself knew, with the added bonus of living in the shell of a demonic presence. Apparently demons had a psychic link with each other, a sort of shared memory that allowed them to see memories from times long past and keep track of things that have long been forgotten by humanity. This allowed them to see past tricks, to see the truth in everything.

None of it mattered though. None of it ever mattered...

**(Scene Break)**

The cabin part of an 18-Wheeler drove along the marked highway and passed the sign symbolizing sin, debauchery, and the cess-pool where everyone throws their money and dignity.

"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!"

Malchior had to slow down considerably as he approached the metropolis because of the massive line-up to get in. He also had to observe the incredibly annoying pleasantries of the road for no other reason than to blend in. From what he understood, breakers of the law got tracked and captured by many separate groups of seemingly invincible vigilante detectives and robotic police officers. The man whose memories he absorbed had watched a large number of documentaries about a private investigator named after a gun and some kind of metal cop.

He could have waltzed into the city and grabbed what he wanted, but his body was fragile and vulnerable. His newfound freedom would not be taken away because he got caught. He would need to get what he wanted, but he had to do it discretely. He needed more information. A thousand years ago, this was a meaningless desert with no value to humanity whatsoever.

What the humans didn't know at the time was that there was a great source of power located deep underground, whose entrance was only visible to the creatures of flight. Malchior had flown over this area a dozen times, but that was a millennia ago and the Dragon no longer had wings. He could hover very well, but the new scenery made recognizing landmarks next to impossible. He was left with no choice but to get information from someone who knew the area.

He drove along the main highway until he reached an area where the population was extremely high, so he pulled his truck to the side of the road and exited.

"Hey man, you can't park there!" The voice came from a weedy looking boy watching from the sidewalk.

Malchior stared at the boy, furious that such a lesser creature would ever dare to refuse a Dragon. "Who are you to say so?" He demanded roughly.

The boy looked at the position of the truck again. "The kid who's walkin' on the sidewalk you just blocked."

He looked back at his transport and took note of its position. It was parked perpendicular to the road and onto the raised level of concrete lining the highway. He didn't see what could possibly be wrong with his disposal of the truck, so he growled at the child and walked away.

"Dude! It's gonna get towed!" The boy shouted after him.

Malchior shrugged it off as he strode towards what he thought was the main part of the city. He was able to settle into his new body with greater ease than he would have thought and made it a point to walk with some sense of pride. He could easily get another mode of transportation. It was just a matter of who to take it from.

The humans gathered on the long straight road en masse, as if swarming around a field of flowers. Malchior kept to the shadows and back alleyways, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. To get the information he needed, he would pick out a straggler, a loner separated from the group through disability or social status. This same method was used when hunting a pack of animals, and that's what humans were. They dress up, talk to each other, and work furiously to afford a modicum of creature comforts, but no matter what they accomplish, it was meaningless in the end.

What was it that humans did in life?

Live. Fight. Kill. Eat. Reproduce. Repeat.

What was it that animals did in life?

Live. Fight. Kill. Eat. Reproduce. Repeat.

They were barely more knowledgeable than their lesser counterparts, able to understand the rudimentary laws of nature and science. Malchior looked around. Mankind made some truly spectacular feats of engineering, much more extravagant than the castles of old. They had built a very impressive society and multiplied like rabbits, but everything was vulnerable.

Glass could melt. Concrete could shatter. Steel could bend. Wood could burn. All of the defences humans built to feel safe and secure could easily be bypassed. The items on which they placed great value could be stolen, destroyed, or disfigured somehow. The human heart could easily be manipulated and broken, proven by his multiple encounters with the half-demoness.

Malchior was so caught up in his hatred for humanity that he was oblivious to woman slowly following behind him.

The woman gave his jacket a soft tug. "Excuse me, could you spare some change?" She whimpered, trying to play on the sympathies of the noble-looking man. She was mistaken to think that he had any.

He turned around in an angry rage. "How dare you touch me? Know your place, peasant!" He yelled.

She drew back with fear in her eyes. She knew this was the last place to be. "Sorry, forgive me." She said.

Malchior chuckled to himself. Maybe he wouldn't have to go looking for the information after all. "Only if you tell me everything you know of the desert." He demanded. "What lies beyond the city limits?"

She looked up at him quizzically. "W...What are you looking for?"

"A place of immense power that no human can withstand. Where is it that man has gone and never returned?" He asked with burning eyes. She would answer or never leave alive.

She felt trapped by his gaze and as if she had to follow what he said to the letter. His presence was nothing short of terrifying and every fibre of his being was focused on her. "Um..." She paused to think. "There's a mine a mile away. S...silver. There was some kind of accident and the place was... shut down." She saw a glint of satisfaction in his eyes and the presence suffocating her lessened ever so slightly. "I... I can tell you where it is." She offered, hoping to get away from him quickly.

He smirked and the glint in his eye turned to a glare. "You will." His hand shot out from his side and grabbed her roughly by the throat. She tried desperately to pry his fingers off, but he was too strong. He lifted her up until her feet were off the ground and her eyes were level with his.

The exact same energy engulfed the woman as the trucker before her and her memories and experiences poured into Malchior. A long history of living on the streets and in the desert became clear to the Dragon and the location of the mine was revealed to him. Armed with the exact information he was looking for, he left Las Vegas and headed towards the place his people once gathered at.

**(Scene Break)**

The Tamaranian descended onto a shore wrought with frothing waves and old wreckage. The fires in Titans Tower had long since died, but the heat remained. Starfire looked over what was left of her home with tears swelling up and about to burst. The place she called home for several years had been destroyed in less time than it took to build, and she was there for every second of it.

The tears she was shedding weren't for the loss of physical items or the loss of the Tower itself, she had removed all items of significance when she first left the tower several days ago. This world was filled with shopping centers that sold enough clothes to satiate her a thousand times over and her royal status on Tamaran meant that she never wanted for anything.

What she did shed tears for, the one thing that could never be replaced, was the relationships with friends that were either dead or trying to combat some new threat. She had already gotten over the deaths of Robin and Cyborg, there was even a special mourning ceremony on her homeworld for them, but it was harder to cope with the absence of Raven and Beastboy. They were nothing short of family and she made sure to let them know it every day. But now they were gone, gone forever.

As if it was a miracle, she spotted a light emitting from the mountains behind the Tower. She was grateful that it was nightfall, as she would have missed it otherwise. She recognized it as a location of one of the Titan's old bunkers, so she flew to the light, clinging to the single hope that her friends were still alive.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**Las Vegas is a real place used in the DC world, however sparingly. Before I began writing, I planned out the first 5 chapters and a very vague idea about what would happen afterwards. I now have a very good idea about what will happen for the next 4 chapters after this one. It will be dark, it will be sad.**

**This is considerably shorter than I would have liked, but it is just an insight into what everyone dealt with. Less conversation too, which always makes things seem shorter. Lots will follow in the next chapter, including a large section with Starfire and the revelation of what a Dragon does with a modern world.**

**Amenson out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII: Reasons for Going On**

**There is a lemon in this chapter but not between who you`d expect. **

**Previously: **_"_ _As if it was a miracle, she spotted a light emitting from the mountains behind the Tower. She was grateful that it was nightfall, as she would have missed it otherwise. She recognized it as a location of one of the Titan's old bunkers, so she flew to the light, clinging to the single hope that her friends were still alive."_

Starfire landed in a seemingly empty hollow in the forests of Jump City and approached a wall of stone and vines that seemed too unstable to climb. There was a very small rock on the ground that didn't belong, so she stood directly on top of it and face the wall. Even though it was night, a shimmering beam of light scanned her left eye and a mechanical voice inquired her name.

"Princess Koriand'r." She stated. A slight whirring was heard and the stone wall retracted, revealing a solid steel door. She walked into the open space and placed her hand on the glowing panel beside it for fingerprint identification. A positive beep was heard and the door opened to the occupied Titan Bunker.

She took a cautious step inside, hoping that whoever was still there was friendly. The door opened up to a hallway that plateaued into the common room, where a green figure stood there to see who was entering the bunker. "Star?" He asked.

"Friend Beastboy!" She exclaimed, rushing forwards to hug the friend she hadn't seen in a long time. They embraced whole-heartedly with a wide grin on both of their faces.

As they separated, Beastboy put his forefinger over her lips in a silencing gesture. "Raven's asleep right now and I don't want to wake her." He whispered.

She nodded in return. "Why is the Tower gone?" She asked.

His only response was to shake his head and lead her as far away from where Raven was sleeping as possible. It wasn't so that they didn't see each other, it was so that when he told Starfire everything that happened, her outburst of emotion wouldn't wake or distress the empathic sleeping girl. Raven had been restless and often lost in thought for many days now, but Beastboy tried his best to attend to her every need. It was only recently that Raven was able to fall asleep for the first time in a week and he wanted to make sure nothing disturbed her.

The door to storage room B opened and closed with two new occupants inside. B was filled with everything to do with fabric and had multiple replacement uniforms for every team member as well as blankets, raincoats and parachutes for every eventuality. As soon as they were inside, Beastboy told her everything that happened while she was away. He started with his own possession and what led to it. Raven's reactions and her conviction followed after that as well as a mention of Malchior and the deal that was made between them.

When he got to the actual ritual itself, he became kind of quiet and unsure. Beastboy was sedated during the entire ordeal and had to rely on what he saw when he woke up as well as what his doppelgänger told him. When he talked about what Malchior did to Raven, Starfire's hair bristled slightly, but she kept her composure and continued to listen. He described how he carried her out of the Tower before Malchior returned and destroyed both the building and the book.

"Ever since then, Raven doesn't eat or sleep without me helping her. The whole thing is really hurting her and I can't do anything to help. She never talks to me, so I have no idea what I can do."

"I will talk to her tomorrow, friend." Her reply was short, but it was what she didn't say that made her meaning apparent. Starfire felt concern for everything that happened and worry for the state she left her teammates in. "It is only a shame that friend Robin is not here. He could have led us through this."

Beastboy put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you came back for this. I'll see you tomorrow Star."

She silently appreciated the tender touch and nodded. "Tomorrow." She replied. As Beastboy left the room, she looked around and found one of the spare uniforms for Robin, should he ever need it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the red and yellow of his uniform, knowing that she would never see him again.

Beastboy looked forlornly at his crying friend, but chose to let her cope on her own, despite an insistent feeling that he should intervene. When he walked five feet from the door, a strange feeling swept over him and he closed his eyes to try and shut it out. He only stood there for a moment, but when he opened his eyes again, they weren't his own.

The doppelgänger with full control of the body smiled and cracked its neck to make sure he had full control of its extremities. With a new air of confidence and a strong sense of conviction, it walked back into the room Beastboy just left, closed the door, strode in front of the crying Tamaranian, and despite her asking what was wrong, held her face and kissed her through her tears.

Starfire was shocked at the sudden display of affection, but accepted it in the way it was given. She didn't want to be alone for the night, so she deepened the kiss and put her arms around its waist, pulling it closer to her.

The doppelgänger's hands separated, one running through her long crimson hair and the other sliding down her back, bringing their hips together and alerting her to the arousal beneath the uniform.

She moaned ever so slightly and it responded by trailing lips down her neck and onto her shoulders. Starfire relished every touch and pressed her breasts to its chest, making the tips stiffen at contact. The doppelgänger held a growl in its throat and use its bodyweight to push Starfire into the wall behind her.

Her eyes grew wide and stared at Beastboy, not expecting his use of force. She reciprocated by ripping his shirt off and crashing her lips onto his. The room got steadily hotter and beads of sweat formed on both people in it, being absorbed into the clothes that they wore.

It broke away from the kiss a second time and grabbed her left leg, bringing it up to its hip, pressing harder against the inside of her thigh and feeling that it was slowly getting wet. It's right hand kept her strong leg at its side and used the other to rip a seam in Starfire's skirt and shirt. The elastic holding them to her body broke and the fabric fell away, leaving nothing on her skin but a very expensive pair of undergarments that served only to make her body all the more seductive. The lace was intricate and absolutely flawless, with the exception of a growing stain indicating her growing arousal.

Her heart raced as she ran her hands over the tightly muscles arms of Beastboy and let out a shuddering breath as the realization that she was almost naked in front of a man set in. Not wanting to wait any longer, she tore through the belt holding Beastboy's pants up and threw them to the side.

It paused for a moment after the Tamaranian took his pants off so desperately, giving her time to see and accept what it was about to give her. To match what she did, it reached behind her and after two quick motions, they stood together with nothing between their lusting bodies.

Immediately, it went for her ample bosom, roughly kneading and licking them, making Starfire tilt her head back in throes of pure ecstasy. The movements felt experienced, as if everything the doppelgänger did was controlling and assertive. Her race was one that could take a great amount of punishment and she was almost masochistic in her encounterings, taking great pleasure in sex where nothing was held back. As one of its hands strayed down to her navel, her eyes opened to show glowing green orbs. There was only emotion and passion between the two and the result made Starfire feel more energized than she had in years.

She rested her back against the wall, taking in the doppelgänger's masterful touches and attention, which now shifted lower on her body. It was on its knees and concentrating solely on the opening between her legs. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a loud moan as hands ran along the interior of her legs and a tongue gently played with her clit. Unsatisfied with her reactions, it slowly stood up, keeping close to her warm body and removing her hand from her mouth.

"The door is closed." It growled. "Don't hold back." It plunged a finger into her and she climaxed from the anticipation that had built up from the start. She shivered from the euphoric release and tensed every muscle in her body, pushing its hand closer to her body and causing the wall to creak from the force against it. Her quivering moans echoed through the room and she bit her bottom lip to show that she truly felt it.

It felt her orgasm through its finger and the cum that squirted onto its hand, making it smile at how easily it could make her moan. Her breath became rough and haggard from how exhausting the experience was, but was quickly smothered by a deep kiss from the doppelgänger. It wanted to satiate her needs so completely that it would leave her with nothing to long for ever again.

Its tongue plunged into her mouth and she did nothing to stop it, reciprocating with her own and wrestled for dominance in the union of their mouths. Starfire took point and grabbed the back of its hair, pushing it to the ground and sitting firmly around its knees.

"My turn." She hummed and leant forwards, pressing her left hand on its firm shoulder for support and holding the erection with her right. It nodded its head in a kind of permission, allowing her to lower herself into it. In a single, smooth motion, she thrust herself down and allowed it to penetrate her to the core. Her head was thrown back once more and she screamed from the intense, warm, and filling sensation now flowing over her. Every movement felt more intense as she was more sensitive after her first climax, making every motion reverberate through her body and expend more energy.

The doppelgänger moaned from the new sensations it was experiencing. Nothing else could compare to the purely encompassing feeling while inside her. It steadily grew hotter between the two, but she had to have more, so Starfire lifted and lowered her hips with more vigour, rubbing her walls around it.

Amazing as it felt, the doppelgänger felt held back and it didn't like that. "Not enough." It muttered and threw its arms around her body suddenly, one on her shoulder blade and the other in the hollow above her ass. It wasted no time to hold her close and pounded into her relentlessly. The purpose of the hand on her back doubled to press their bodies closer together and to increase the friction of her rock-hard nipples on its chest. The hand in the crook of her back was used to maximise the depth in which it penetrated her.

She was taken aback at the change of pace and could do nothing as it pleasured every inch of her body. Starfire's head rested against its shoulder, leaving her tanned neck exposed and vulnerable. A sharp grin appeared on its face and the fangs fell down on the skin where her neck meets her shoulder. The skin broke, giving way to a viscous red liquid that trickled down her body and into the maw of the ravenous man who caused it. Tears, saliva, blood, and cum dripped from her because she couldn't hold it back. She was just lost in the joy that came with mating with another.

It ripped through her to the core with every stroke and stimulated the tight spot just beneath the entrance with every withdrawal. Its arm crept over her shoulder, drawing her closer with every passing second and constantly stimulating her incredibly sensitive breasts. The other hand reached ever so slightly further downwards and used a pinkie to bypass the contracted muscles of her rear and entered her tight asshole.

The second she felt the unexpected the intrusion, her entire body convulsed from a mind-shattering orgasm and her eyes shot out beams of pure energy, burning a line through a line of uniforms hanging on the far wall. The extra pressure on its erection pushed it over the edge and caused it to ejaculate deep inside of the Tamaranian, loosing a triumphant snarl as a testament to its victory.

Starfire's entire body glowed and released a massive pulse of energy that incinerated what remained in the storage room, blowing the doppelgänger's hair back and slightly scorching his body. She fell beside him completely drained of energy. "Oh, Xhal." She whispered. Of all of the sexual encounters she had, that was by far the most exhilarating and the most satisfying. "Thank you, friend Beastboy."

It looked over and grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, twirling it between its fingers. "Call me Gar." It replied.

She closed her eyes appreciatively and gave a gentle smile. "Gar." With that, she fell asleep with a smile on her face and in a quickly evaporating damp area of the combination of their love juices.

It rested for a moment to regain a bit of strength, got up, and lifted the resting Starfire with it. She was slung over its shoulder and taken to an unoccupied sleeping quarter. It placed her into one of the bunk-beds inside and tucked in, left with an unconscious smile on her face. The doppelgänger went off to the room that Beastboy slept in and manoeuvred the body into the bed. The presence left the body and control returned to Beastboy, the rightful owner. Before it faded, it thought one thing: Beastboy would have an interesting morning.

**(Scene Break)**

The road to the abandoned mine was long and allowed Malchior to reflect on the times before, when his people roamed the world in droves.

At their prime, Dragons were the ruling force of the world and man was merely their servants, even food on some occasions. They had it all; great force, mobility, and command over magicks most arcane. They used their power and influence to establish dominance over major parts of the world. Castles were built for them, temples were made so that humans could worship them, and monoliths were constructed to honor them. The only problem was that humanity was never content with their lot.

Warriors from distant lands declared war on the Dragons, to free their comrades from slavery, but every rebellion, conflict, and crusade was swiftly cut down and crushed. Every organised attempt at a revolution from their draconic rulers failed because it seemed like every move was anticipated and expected. If one Dragon was uprooted from its stead, a dozen more would rain destruction down on the entire area.

What was unknown to the humans was that the Dragons had a form of communication that connected them all and spanned all distances. It allowed them to keep track of what was happening in their respective kingdoms. It was a secret that was kept from all life for fear that it could be turned against them.

The secret of the Dragons was the Oracle Basins that could be found by the thousands, spanning the globe. It was called as such because of the powers and abilities it possessed. At certain areas on the planet, a mixture of chemicals and minerals bled through the rocks and into an underground spring. The supernatural properties of the water was discovered to link with other similar locations, allowing a form of communication to be transferred when exposed to the arcane arts of the Dragons.

As soon as it was discovered, the entire race based themselves at these key points along the ley lines of the world where these Basins were found. The fact that a form of instant communication between the sites meant that the Dragons had an advantage over the humans that trumped all others. Where messages had to be delivered by hand or by wing, information had a very limited speed. It took weeks to co-ordinate plans while it took only seconds to crush any form of independence.

Further experimentation with the Basins proved that it had a second, more powerful use. Direct contact with the harsh chemical mixture exposed the subject to both the past and the future simultaneously. However impressive the gift may sound, there was no restriction to the information as the entire existence of every single flora, fauna, and fungi to ever be created or destroyed poured itself into the mind of whoever was unfortunate enough to touch the water. The Oracle Basin was also drained of the power it contained, rendering it useless and turning it into a harmless pool of water.

Both Dragons and Humans became temporarily insane from the massive amount of information, forcing strict laws to be enacted as to their use. Laws were bent in regard to their usage, and Dragons turned to submersion into the Basins as a form of intoxication. The breaking and reforming of a fragile mind became an addiction and it became a compulsion to use the Oracle Basics, if only for the satiation of an urge.

What once started as thousands became hundreds and the draconic race dwindled and faded, unable to both suppress the Human population and get their fix. The warrior-monks from the kingdom of Nol took advantage of the weakened state of the Dragons and systematically killed whatever survived exposure to the Basins long enough.

Malchior was one of the oldest of his species and also one of the wisest. He was there from the beginning and he saw what was once a proud race of regal creatures become a pitiful excuse for what they were capable of. He was unable to do anything as the human race took back what was theirs and killed his kind one by one.

A thousand years ago, Malchior was the last Dragon and the only one who never partook in the chemical waters. His castle stood tall over the last Dragon-controlled Basin and he waited for the warriors of man to come.

The kingdom of Nol sent their most experienced monk to take down Malchior. Rorek was the Grandmaster of life-magic and the possessor of the Prison-Book, only to be used in the most dire of circumstances. The two engaged in a battle of massive proportions, both struggling to get the upper hand. Malchior came prepared and was on the verge of defeating the best that humanity had to offer, but was swiftly struck down and imprisoned by an ancient and malevolent curse.

With that, draconic rule was utterly destroyed and any mention of the powerful race was reduced to legend and myth. Only one thing remained on Earth for Malchior to retreat to, a small hope that the Oracle Basin he was driving towards now was still operational.

**(Scene Break)**

The sun rose as did the three heroes of Jump City. The night had been long and restful, but Starfire had a particular bounce in her step from the events that unfolded right when she needed them. She wasn't as distraught from the past, but was now looking to the future with hope. She was confident that Raven could be cured of whatever was troubling the demoness and that Malchior could be defeated with time to spare.

She flew down to the kitchen and began preparations for a heart-warming breakfast designed specifically to mend a broken heart, which is what Raven could be suffering from. Starfire mixed the flour preparation for waffle-mix and opened the frozen cans of orange goodness. She was in the middle of furiously stirring both mixtures at the same time when Beastboy walked in.

To Beastboy's knowledge, he passed out right after he left the front door. Anything after that was a very vivid, albeit a very arousing dream. The morning after felt surprisingly good. He joined Starfire in the kitchen and began to make himself soy-milk cereal. "Good morning, Star." He said.

"A glorious morning, is it not?" She proclaimed. The mixture was finished and she poured the entire contents over the small waffle-maker, the excess overflowing into the sink it was placed in. From the three different colors of waffle-mix hardening on the countertop, Beastboy could tell that she had been at this all morning.

Beastboy smiled at the return of the interesting cooking habits of the resident alien of the Tower. ""It is glorious, isn't it?" He replied. "What are you making?"

"The human breakfast of recovery for Raven! She will feel much better after she consumes this!" She walked over to him while the waffle was cooking and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I wish to thank you for last night, friend! I am feeling much happier and am filled with love once again!"

Thinking she was referring to the hug they shares last night, he made a quick glass of orange juice. "Because of the hug?" He asked before taking a sip of his drink.

She giggled and smiled. "No, friend. Because of the sex!" Her hand subconsciously went to the fresh wound on her shoulder that Beastboy could swear looked like a bite-mark.

He spit whatever was in his mouth out like a whale and started choking. Starfire ran over to him and rubbed his back. "Sorry?"

"Don't be sorry Beastboy. I am feeling energized once more and happy to start the day!" She joined her hands at her front and shuffled her feet. "It meant a great deal to me."

The increasing heartbeat and the fact that his pants were slowly getting tighter meant that she was telling the truth, something that was impossible. He saw something move in the corner of his eye and stared at it. A pale green cat was climbing around the cupboards and grinning at him. "Yeah, it meant a great deal to me too." He tried to sound sincere about something he didn't remember doing.

At his response, her body floated a little higher above the floor and she donned a smile of pure satisfaction. A beep went off, so she spun around and flew to the waffle-maker which was steaming profusely.

As the cat sauntered off into the next room, Beastboy decided to follow. "I need to do something Star. Say hi to Raven for me."

She looked his way and nodded. "Of course, Gar!" She said with a wink.

With that, Beastboy left Starfire to her cooking and followed the animal to one of the computer rooms, where it shifted to its eerily familiar form.

"You're looking well-rested." It said with a smirk.

Beastboy jabbed an accusing finger towards his doppelgänger. "What happened last night?" He demanded.

"Didn't you hear Starfire? You had sex with her, and you were damn good at it too!"

"She called me Gar. Nobody calls me Gar."

"Someone does now." It wagged suggestive eyebrows at him. "Oh relax! Take some credit, she feels much better than she did when you saw her before."

Beastboy had a hard time understanding his counterpart. "Why?"

"Why not? Sex is a natural pick-me-up and she was asking for it!"

"She was not." He protested.

The doppelgänger smiled as it thought back. "Pouty eyes, sad face, talking about her dead ex." It listed. "You must have noticed her pheromones."

"Hey! Don't talk about Robin like that!"

"What, dead? Would you prefer deluded? Cruel? Obsessed? A selfish bastard?"

Beastboy was shocked to hear the terms thrown about without any regards. "It's not nice to talk about friends like that."

"What's the difference? The dead can't hear and the living never do anything about it." Beastboy's doppelgänger made a strange kind of sense.

"Well, you didn't have to sleep with her!"

The doppelgänger crossed its arms. "You have sex for the first time and you're worried that it wasn't with Raven?" Beastboy tried to hold his composure, but his face shouted the truth. "Demons fuck anything that moves. They never get married, move into a house together, or write a book of their memoirs. Monogamy is an entirely human concept. Raven was never truly human, Starfire is an alien, and your humanity died on the boat with your parents."

Beastboy was caught off balance and staggered. "That's not the problem! You did it without my permission."

"I don't need your permission."

He threw his arms in the air. "I thought you weren't my evil twin anymore!"

It rolled its eyes. "Evil implies that my opposite is the epitome of good, and we both know you are FAR from that." That remark earned a scower from Beastboy. "I am everything you're not. Where you are absent-minded, I am brilliant. You are afraid to show yourself to society, I know they should fear me. You deny your animalistic nature, I embrace it proudly. You are weak, I am strong."

There was an air of confidence in the doppelgänger and Beastboy could tell there were no lies in its speech. "I. Am. Not. Weak." He stated.

"No?" It quipped. "Then why is Terra refusing to acknowledge you?"

His shoulders tensed up and his face grew stiff. "Stop right there." Beastboy said coldly.

"If you showed the slightest amount of force, of control, she wouldn't have accepted Slade's help."

Beastboy's eyes flared. "How dare you!" His voice became louder and aggressive.

It stepped forwards. "You let her get away. You gave her the opportunity to betray you. You weren't able to save her from herself and that makes you weak."

"This is my body and you don't belong here! You will obey me!" He shouted.

"I belong just as much as you do, but you need me. I will not obey you, but I will not do anything without your permission again. Alright?"

However pissed off Beastboy was, there was a sincerity in its eyes that was undeniable. That, and the fact that there was something about its face that seemed trustworthy. "I... I guess." The doppelgänger nodded and faded into the room.

Beastboy leant back against the wall and sighed. His life got a hell of a lot more complicated, but he supposed it wasn't so bad.

**(Scene Break)**

As soon as Malchior stepped out of his car and onto the area where the abandoned silver mine used to be. The air was slightly mustier than normal and the dirt was clearly trampled on recently. The abandoned mine was not abandoned after all.

The tracks appeared to be leading towards a shaft entrance, which was covered in old wooden boards and vines in an attempt to conceal it. He wasted no time in removing the obstacle in the way, walking past it and into the mines.

As he ventured deeper into the darkness, echoes of chanting made their way into his ears and flickering lights from torches reflected off the walls. Malchior made sure that his footsteps were meek and quiet as he drew closer to the noises. The thin shaft led to a large chamber overlooking a deep hole in the ground, guarded by two muscular men wearing red robes.

He slinked behind them and grabbed the back of their necks, using his enhanced strength to snap both spines at the same time. With the guards out of the way, Malchior stepped into the chamber unhindered and walked to the edge of the pit, which was emanating with a sickly hue.

The pit descended deep into the Earth, lined with veins of glowing minerals. The concentration of those minerals grew as it lowered, culminating in a large pool radiating with immense power. Malchior smiled at the discovery and was about to jump down to it, but he heard the clinking of chain links, so he decided to wait and see what happened.

The sound came from above and a small metal cage lowered itself down, heading towards the center of the Basin. Inside the cage rested what appeared to be an old man, frail and about to die. The cage finally submerged in the bubbling liquid and disappeared below the surface. The bubbles formed furiously around the submerged man for a moment, leading up to a giant whirlpool that formed around the body. Glowing red eyes opened beneath the water and the water exploded high into the air, reaching the chamber where Malchior was watching.

The water hit the edges of the cliff where Malchior hid, and he jumped back to avoid being hit by the noxious brew. As the water settled, the frail old man rose, only the man's demeanour changed entirely. His hair was black with a white streak along the back with a long goatee to match. His muscles bulged against his skin and his eyes grew black and fierce. Upon looking upon the white-haired creature, he donned an evil grin and started to laugh manically.

At the same time, a proud-looking woman followed by an entourage of hooded men. Shocked by the appearance of the intruder, the woman spoke. "An intruder!" She said with a thick accent. "Capture him!"

At her command, the throng of hooded men rushed forwards and tried to subdue the two others with force. The first thug who approached Malchior was unfortunate enough to get his head caught in the Dragon's grasp. Malchior wasted no time and crushed the poor man's skull into oblivion, causing blood and brains to run through the albino's hand, all while the maniacal laughter continued.

As the body hit the floor, the other bodyguards took out guns and fired them towards Malchior. He summoned up a shield born from demonic energy and deflected the bullets away from him. Pieces of gravel fell from the floor and shield as the deflected bullets impacted into them while one struck the arm of the recently resurrected man., silencing him.

"Stop shooting, you will hit my father!" The woman ordered. The men lowered their guns reluctantly, but kept their figures tense just in case. The injured man grasped his arm in pain, but his demeanour changed to one that was considerably less insane. Malchior moved back and crouched in front of a wall, arms outstretched and prepared to strike if anyone attacked him again. The woman rushed to the injured man's side. "Father! Are you hurt?"

"Nyssa, my daughter. It is good to see you again." The man stood up with the assistance of his daughter and faced the newcomer. "I am Ra's Al Ghul and this Lazarus Pit belongs to us."

The dragon straightened up ever so slightly. "I am Malchior and the Oracle Basins were in my possession long before you."

"Why are you here?" Ra's asked.

Malchior growled. "To reclaim what is rightfully mine!" He summoned up tendrils of black energy that wrapped around every human in the room. Controlling their movements, all of the thugs got tossed in random directions, several of them crashing against the walls of the pit and two of them sliding against the floor and falling off the edge. The men who fell off rolled down the steep decline and fell into the water. The chemicals melted the skin off their flesh and left them screaming in the acid before sinking below the surface.

Nyssa used a sword to slice through the tentacles and the ones surrounding her father, freeing them both and pointing a gun at the Dragon. Malchior flicked his wrist in her direction and the pistol broke into many pieces. Ra's took an aggressive stance and charged at the albino, planning to take him down with pure brawn.

Malchior raised an arm to block the first blow, only to have his defence broken through and taking a solid hit on his ribs. The pain didn't hold him back as he followed through with a solid uppercut that connected directly on Ra's' chin.

Nyssa moved to attack the Dragon, but he lifted his hands and summoned a wall of fire that separated father from daughter. He reached down and grabbed Ra's by the throat, lifting the injured man so high that his feet left the ground. He valiantly tried to free himself from the grasp of the albino, but was unsuccessful. Malchior engulfed his captive in a light of pure energy as he did with the others, leaving Nyssa to scream at her inability to help her father.

The body of Ra's evaporated and his mind combined with the Dragons. Several centuries of experiences and unbiased history flowed through Malchior, but the volume of information passed through his mind with an incredible amount of force.

Malchior grasped his head and fell to his knees, screaming as memories flashed before his eyes. He saw the world through the eyes of Ra's Al Ghul, a corrupt and destructive wasteland that lost sight of what nature intended. As the Dragon tried to sort through everything he saw, Nyssa ran through the rapidly extinguishing flames and grabbed the clothes her father once wore. Tears formed in her eyes as ashes fell through the folds of the discarded clothes.

Now content with his self, Malchior rose from his knees, walked over to Nyssa, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come, child. It is time to destroy this world." He hummed, standing over the woman and one of the Oracle Basins, once known to the ancient man as the Lazarus Pit.

**To Be Continued.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**I did what I did for two reasons. I can list 3 lemons between Beastboy and Starfire in a library of almost 30,000. I wanted to add to that. The other is that now Starfire is in a good mood and is in a position to help Raven properly without distractions or remorse. **

**My favorite chapter yet written in less than a week. Starfire returned to unite the Titans and will be instrumental in the saving of Raven, who will get better next chapter. 3 left and a month to do it in. Until next time.**

**Amenson out**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII: Recovery**

**Apologies. A mixture of work, life, loss of data, lack of time, missing inspiration, and the occasional inability to log on to post something were the reasons that I couldn't update sooner. Without further ado.**

**Previously:** _"Malchior grasped his head and fell to his knees, screaming as memories flashed before his eyes. He saw the world through the eyes of Ra's Al Ghul, a corrupt and destructive wasteland that lost sight of what nature intended. As the Dragon tried to sort through everything he saw, Nyssa ran through the rapidly extinguishing flames and grabbed the clothes her father once wore. Tears formed in her eyes as ashes fell through the folds of the discarded clothes._

_Now content with his self, Malchior rose from his knees, walked over to Nyssa, and placed a hand on her shoulder._

_"Come, child. It is time to destroy this world." He hummed, standing over the woman and one of the Oracle Basins, once known to the ancient man as the Lazarus Pit."_

Starfire stood outside of Raven's room holding a plateful of syrup-laced waffles and knocked on the door. "Friend Raven? May I come in? I bring good tidings of sugar and maple!"

When she didn't hear a response, the alien turned the handle an opened the door, revealing a dark room that almost oozed with despair. Shaking her head, Starfire flicked the light switch on and walked towards Raven, who was huddled in the corner clutching a duvet close to her chest.

The plate of waffles was placed beside the bed where Raven was sitting and the mattress depressed when the ninety pound alien sat on the opposite side.

"Friend Raven! Will you partake in the eating of waffles with me?"

Raven was unfazed by the smell of sugary goodness and continued to stare forwards, hoping that she would be left alone if she ignored everyone.

Starfire pleaded with the lonely girl. "You may trust me with this. Friend Gar will not be able to hear our talk, so please talk to me!"

When Raven heard her mention Beastboy, her eyes squinted ever so slightly and she hoped the action was unnoticed by her teammate. It was, however and Starfire held a nasty glint in her eye. She lunged forwards and ripped the covers from the empath, making her grab the corner just before it got out of reach and give a defiant look to the redhead.

"You cannot pull the linen over my eyes, friend. You will have the girl talk with me!"

Raven withdrew back into the corner and tightened her arms to her chest, trying to stay warm after the comfy duvet was removed. "Nothing to say." She droned. What was there to say? Everything Starfire heard was from Beastboy, which was probably all there was to know.

"Nonsense, there is plenty to speak of. We have much of the catching up to do!" She didn't even reply to that, so Starfire tried her fail proof Get-Raven-to-open-up plan. "How about we exchange questions? At least do that!"

The incessant tone of the aliens voice stirred up the telltale feeling of guilt within her, and before she could stop herself. "Fine." The second the sound passed her lips, Raven immediately regretted it.

Starfire practically leapt for joy at her friend's approval of her idea. "Then I shall begin! Friend Gar tells me that you no longer meditate. Do you not need to control your emotions?"

How the Hell could she know that? Who was she to judge? Why on Earth would she ask about that? Calm down. She's just a friend. We've shared bodies, so she knows what I do. It's just my Rage acting up. "I can't meditate any more. The... incident weakened my Bravery. It can't unite my emotions, which is why they won't work together anymore." Raven paused as the syllables set in. She knew exactly what was happening to her, but saying it aloud made things a tincture more real. It didn't feel good. She shook her head to rid it of the troublesome thoughts and changed the topic. "Why did you come back?"

She twirled her hair at the thought of the memories that rushed into her. "It was... nice to go back to my home world and there was even a feast in my honor, but it didn't feel like home. It was when I received the call about the Tower that I knew where I belonged. I was even proposed to a few times, but it still didn't make me want to stay."

Raven lowered herself slightly at the mention of the proposals. Starfire was the warrior-princess of an entire race of beautiful barbarians, of course she would be popular and loved. Even though she never enjoyed the limelight, Raven couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Satisfied with her own answer, Starfire decided to throw her biggest shot at her friend. "What did Malchior do?"

For a seemingly innocent alien, she really didn't know the meaning of the word 'Subtlety', did she? Raven shivered. She really didn't want to go through this. "Didn't Gar tell you?"

"He believes he was not awake for the most important parts and I would much rather hear it from you."

She sighed. This was quickly becoming unpleasant. "After you left, Beastboy became increasingly... frantic. He wasn't acting normally and he said things he never would before. When I found out what was going on, I was... forced to summon Malchior again." She buried her face in her hands as if to hide her shame. "He told me he could help, that it could work, but he lied to me again and I... I believed him. One of the worst things to ever happen in my life and I fell for the same tricks again!" Her voice got louder and wavered. It wasn't pleasant to revisit old wounds. "He was able to free himself from the book without me and... attacked me. Beastboy saved me before Malchior could finish it. He saved me..."

Starfire felt humbled at what her friend went through in a very short while. She shuffled closer to Raven in an attempt to make her feel more at home. She rubbed the empath's back when she heard the smallest of whispers.

"How does your anger not consume you?"

A familiar memory flowed through Starfire. "You have been inside of my body. It is never anger I use to fuel my actions."

" Righteous fury." Raven whispered back.

"That's right. It would be a combination of your Rage and Bravery, I believe. Rage is not quelled until there is nothing left to destroy, but fury subsides when the subject of it is gone. Would it not be possible to merge the two emotions?"

Raven blinked twice. "Thank you, Star. I can't believe I never thought of that."

"It must have been hard to tell me that." Raven was never one for apologizing or being grateful at all.

Raven lowered her head and stared intensely at her own feet. " It was, but... never... never to him..."

"You are speaking of Friend Gar, correct? He has been most worried about your condition."

"Why?" She whispered.

Starfire had to tread very carefully around this subject. She didn't want to misinterpret Beastboy's intentions or make Raven believe something that wasn't the truth. "I believe he blames himself for everything that happened. He also feels useless for not being able to help you in your time of need."

" Liar." She muttered under her breath.

Starfire took great offence at the reply, but had to suppress the urge to challenge her to a duel. "He is most upset of your situation, I assure you."

" He's just upset because I did this."

"Did what?"

" I killed our friends, I couldn't help him when he needed it most, and I unleaded Malchior on this world. He pities me. He hates me!" Her face swelled up and she was on the verge of tears.

Starfire slammed a closed fist on the bed. "Nonsense! He pushed you out of the way when Brother Blood was going to hurt you. He broke free of his bonds to stop Malchior from raping you."

Raven tried to turn away, but Starfire grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face forwards, revealing a tear-soaked face stained with week-old eye shadow falling down her face.

"He took you out of the tower before Malchior could destroy it. He has been taking care of you the entire time you have been together."

"No!" She shouted in a futile attempt to make the alien stop. The words stung with a powerful force and gave her a feeling that was incredibly unpleasant. "He does everything for himself!" She said, trying to rationalize and justify his abnormal actions and decisions.

"He did everything for you, whether you wanted it or not!"

"But why?"

A new voice interrupted the conversation. "Because I can't stand to see you get hurt."

Starfire and Raven stared at the open doorway and saw a boy who was exuding an aura of unadulterated honesty. The demoness felt something inside her wrench. She had got it all wrong. She must have. Beastboy was always caring and considerate. He could never do harm by anybody, a trait that he kept even when threatened with the end of the world. A warm shiver filled her entire presence, as if the revelation was both emotional and physical.

Everything changed for her. She had spent many days regretting her actions and condemning her friends for what they did. She wallowed in grief and self-pity to no end, oblivious to the fact that she wasn't alone at all. She never was.

Raven buried her face in her hands, chest heaving, and a slow wail emitting from her throat. He rushed to her side and rubbed her back with Starfire joining in. She may not have been better, but at least she knew she wasn't alone.

**(Scene Break)**

Never before had Raven attempted to enter her mind in a place that she lived in for several months or somewhere she knew was safe. The feeling of security made her mindscape more stable and easier to navigate. Her emotions would be more relaxed and slightly easier to talk to when in a location that was known and protected.

She was taking a huge risk going within. Starfire's suggestion emboldened her and Beastboy's presence comforted her, but her emotions weren't stable or secure at all. Each one would be more in tune with the feeling they represented and more volatile because of recent events. They would certainly be less personable and would probably opt to do things themselves rather than help their master.

Raven even thought of shirking the plan; it did seem so pointless and a time-consuming event. She would be content with saying "Sorry, I can't find my mirror!" or "I'll get it done tomorrow!". Of course, she could never actually say these things. Every time there was an option to join in on a conversation, some kind of filter would turn the witty or helpful remark into a glare or something sarcastic.

The whole cycle would take a week:

She would try to say something, but the words would catch in her throat.

Everyone would have a great conversation while she would curse herself for trying to be helpful.

A few days would go by where she made an effort to not try to add to a conversation.

After a while, she would forget what she was trying to do and try to join in on a conversation, only to have it blow up in her face.

Rinse.

Repeat.

She never could hold onto the lesson for very long, but every time it happened was embarrassing.

One of the very few items that Beastboy had been able to take from the tower before it was destroyed was her mirror, wrapped in one his shirts to prevent a repeat of the last time he looked into it. Raven was grateful for his foresight, though it could have been something he just happened to see. She unwrapped the mirror and placed it ceremoniously in front of her, kneeling before it on the soft surface of the bed she had been using.

The mantra wasn't absolutely necessary for what she was about to attempt, but it made things much easier and safer. She touched the mirror and immediately felt a swirling vortex emerge and surround her. The wind whipped furiously around her with so much force that small blades of air cut against her, making her skin redden and short locks of hair to fall. A small light appeared at the center of the vortex and grew in intensity, engulfing Raven and taking her to her mindscape.

The portal spat her out onto a stone walkway hovering in the vacuum of space. The world shimmered with an uneasy feel, giving it a well-deserved title: Ethereal. The walkway turned into a long passage that seemed to stretch out for miles with a small archway at the end. She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. The sound spread through the landscape, causing the walkway to rumble. The long pathway dropped into nothingness and the sinister archway appeared directly in front of her.

On the other side of the door, a lush meadow was shown, but Raven didn't walk into it. She snapped her fingers again and walked through the door. She walked into a large area with a circular table in the center. There were several doors that led to her emotions' domains circling the area, each with a marker to show which emotion was housed there.

To Fear, the archway was lined with wards and protection spells; to Timid, there was a half-completed sign that read 'Stay A..."; to Happy, flowers and vines grew in abundance on the surrounding stones; to Rude, the archway was painted to look like something unmentionable; to Knowledge, there were glyphs and sigils lining the door; to Reason, metal braces supported the stone structure; to Rage, chains were draped over the entire structure; and to Brave, what was once an architectural marvel of intricate designs was now slowly crumbling away.

Raven walked past each door and placed a hand on all but the chained and the crumbling. Her touch made the doors glow, signaling that her emotions were to convene. One by one they entered the area and sat on their chairs at the table.

All of the emotions came in their color-coded cloaks, but when Rude appeared, she was naked. Raven rolled her eyes but mostly ignored it. Clothes weren't needed for what she planned and she wasn't in the mood for an argument with an emotion that wasn't ashamed of anything it did. One thing that she was disturbed about was that her clones seemed distant, distracted. Though each emotion clearly acted according to their roles, the mood was much more somber than what passed for normal in her soul. If there was indeed anything that could be considered in her head.

Reason decided to be the first one to break the silence. _"You've been a bad host."_

Raven was shocked to hear what her most logical side said. "What?"

Knowledge was next to give Raven its own insight. _"You've done nothing while the world crumbles around you."_

"I don't..." Raven stuttered.

Happy interrupted her progenitor. _"There are so many things to do and people to do them with, but you cower in your room when you need the others the most." _The black-cloakedFear cackled in the background.

"Hey, I've tried..."

Timid said her piece. _"He hurt us, Raven. He tricked us and you let him."_

" But there's still..."

Rude slammed its fist on the table. _"Look at how disgusting you have become, and I should know!"_

" No, that's not..."

Fear giggled, muttering nonsensical ramblings. _"He won't be able to save us again. We will do something that is part of our nature and he will be too late to stop it." _A massive rumbling echoed making the emotions quake and Raven almost lose her footing.

Reason stared at the archway bound in chains, wide-eyed and completely aware. _"Rage's prison is weak and the chains are about to fall off. We will not be able to stop it again without Bravery."_

Raven gave a menacing growl, making all of her emotions quieter and calmer. "I don't need this from any of you now. We need to restore Bravery."

Knowledge straightened up. _"You intend to merge them, even when you know there only the slim chance that it will work?"_

"I have to."

Knowledge continued. _" All emotions have their opposite. Happy has Rude, Timid has Fear, Bravery has Rage, and I have Reason."_ The blue emotion nodded to the yellow one._" To merge the two has never been done before. We don't know how things will be affected."_

Happy piped up. _"And what if it does work?"_

Raven gave a quizzical look. Every worry she had was being discussed without her intervention.

_"If it does work, what will become of us then? The new emotion may drop out of existence completely or take over your mind. It will be able to act unchecked by any of us."_

Raven steadied her posture and gave out a strong aura. "That will not happen. It will serve me as you all do and will bring us out of our situation. It has to."

With that single command ringing throughout her thoughts, her emotions were purged of any doubts they had. _"Then let us begin." _Her emotions said in harmony. They all stood up at the same time and walked towards the two consecutive archways, forming a circle around them. Raven stood at the head of them and extended her arms outwards. The emotions immediately beside her took the outstretched hands and lifted their own.

They all stood hand-in-hand around the doors and began to chant her mantra. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." The chant grew louder and a slight tingling was felt throughout the circle. It was working.

The two doors shimmered and faded from view, while a third formed between them. The entire process dragged out for what seemed to be over an hour, continually draining energy from both Raven and her emotions. The third door became more opaque and corporeal, until at last its form solidified in Raven's mindscape.

The door was pure metal, in contrast to the granite frames of the other archways, and polished to a fine silver. It appeared as though the chains of Rage were melted down and poured over the door, yet the intricate markings of Bravery's domain were still clearly visible, if not even more defined. The emotions broke the hand-contact and panted from the exertion.

The space inside of the door shifted and the frame began to glow: the new emotion was about to come out.

At first, a single finger became visible, then a flawless alabaster hand. The hand closed to a fist, as if grabbing the air and lowered back into the door. An unclothed foot then emerged and a knee and body followed. When the emotion was visible, it projected an aura that seemed to increase the gravity in the world. Raven looked in awe at a new part of herself.

It stood among the others, but clearly stood out. Its shoulders stuck out like a statue and its back was straighter than a pole. It wore a cloak in the same fashion as all of the others, only the color was a very deep chestnut. It strode towards Raven and knelt down in front of her.

Raven gazed down at the prostrating emotion. "What is your name?"

_"Fury"_ It stated.

Raven closed her eyes and sighed. It worked.

She retreated from her mindscape and re-entered the world of the conscious. Raven returned to her body and stretched her limbs, making sure she had full control of her extremities. Once satisfied, she stood up and placed the mirror onto a bedstand where it wouldnt fall over. She looked at her fingertips and felt the tingle of her powers.

Deciding to experiment with her powers, she focused all of her energy on levitating off the ground. The second the energy was directed to her feet, she flew up with considerably higher force than she anticipated. Raven hit the ceiling and fell back to the floor with only a foot to break the fall.

The pain shot through her leg and she clutched it close to her chest. She shut her eyes tightly, and by habit, she counted to herself. "One... Two..."

**(Scene Break)**

Starfire and Beastboy were cooking in the kitchen when they heard a crash coming from Raven's room. They both looked at each other when Beastboy heard a whispered "One". He sprung into action and dashed off to her room with Starfire following close behind.

Raven was on the ground massaging a hurt ankle, counting to three when Beastboy rushed to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Three." She looked up at him with a newfound source of confidence and replied. "I can honestly say that I've never felt better. Before I forget, I wanted to thank you for helping me Beastboy."

With that single comment, all of his efforts and troubles seemed trivial but useful. He was glad to be appreciated, but the feeling was amplified because of who it came from. "Any time."

"Good, because we need to talk." Raven stood up and moved to one end of the square room, with Starfire and Beastboy moving back to the other.

As he leaned against the wall, something appeared out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he saw his doppelgänger climb near where Raven slept and sit down. "What are you doing here?" Beastboy whispered roughly. The doppelgänger simply stared at him and smiled.

Raven gave Beastboy a funny look. "Starfire needs to be here for this too, 'Gar'"

"Hmm?" Beastboy looked at both of the girls in the room who were staring at him. "Sorry, I uh..."

"I'm sitting in on this one, so don't make too much of a fool out of yourself." His counterpart was itching to see how Beastboy would handle himself in that situation and smiled in anticipation.

Beastboy tore his gaze away from it and back to Raven. "I uh... Was thinking of something else. Sorry, Star."

Starfire had a forgiving look on her face. "Of course, friend. Where were we?"

Raven sighed. "I was about to tell you whether or not it worked."

Beastboy raised an eyebrow. "What worked?"

"You don't know? I thought you were listening in on the situation."

Beastboy shook his head. "Of course not. I only came when I heard a commotion and thought you were in trouble."

Raven tried another avenue. "Didn't Star tell you anything?"

Starfire spoke on her own behalf. "Indeed I did not, friend. He was not at all curious as to what was discussed."

Beastboy gave a sheepish grin. He wasn't about to trouble Raven by discovering her dirty little secrets. That was the last thing either of them needed.

Raven's eyes smiled appreciatively. "Well, we discussed some problems I was having with my emotions. She suggested that I merge my Bravery and Rage to restore balance to my mind."

The doppelgänger raised an eyebrow. _"This is an interesting development. Won't that just strengthen her demonic half?"_

Beastboy took the cue from his counterpart. "Won't that just strengthen your demonic half?"

Raven nodded. "It will, but the attributes of my Bravery should discourage it from causing any trouble."

"This emotion, does it have a name?" Starfire asked.

"Fury." The light around Raven's body shone brighter at the mention of the name, only noticed by Beastboy.

The doppelgänger chuckled. _"Amusing that the daughter of a demon now has the voice of fury. I guess that now hell hath a fury like a woman scorned!"_

Beastboy chuckled at the joke, but stopped when he sensed the others looking at him.

Starfire sat a little straighter. "Are you able to use your powers again?"

"I am and they are more powerful than before. Without rage to restrain every time, my attacks are considerably stronger. It will take some getting used to, but things seem better than before." Raven was glad to be back to her full strength. The ability to use her powers once more made her feel strong, something she had not felt since the ritual.

"Glorious news! I am glad that my advice helped!"

The doppelganger stared intensely at Raven, as if admiring her new lease on life. _"Truly impressive, though she will never be what she once was. It's a pity. Do you still love her?"_

Beastboy started coughing profusely, throwing the conversation off.

Raven looked at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

The changeling cleared his throat and looked at the empath. "Yes," His gaze shifted to the doppelganger on the bed. "More than anything." When he noticed Starfire looking at him, he corrected himself. "Better than anything, I mean. Can we change the subject? It's great that you're better and all, but we do need to talk about someone. I hate to be blunt but..."

Raven's posture tightened. "Malchior. He's not a person and that's as blunt as it gets."

Beastboy would usually wait until Robin took charge and followed in his wake, but he was long gone and the dragon had to be dealt with. "We need to know what he said to you while I was... tied up." He ignored the curious glance from Starfire and looked hopefully at Raven.

Raven shut her eyes tightly, trying to remember what he said, but hating the memory of his enchanting voice. "He said that the race of dragons were in power for millennia. When I asked him about... my kind, he told me that demons were suppressed by Malchior and that they grew to power in his absence."

Out of nowhere, the doppelganger scoffed when it heard what Malchior said. Without expecting it, the same sound emitted from Beastboy, which drew the attention of everyone else in the room. "Uh..."

_"Just relax and let me do the talking here."_ It sat in the exact same position that Beastboy was in and started to talk, which Beastboy's mouth mimicked. "Demons have been around since the dawn of time. Dragons just rode the coattails of your energy while they enslaved the human race."

Starfire and Raven stared at him with gaping mouths. "H...How could you possibly know that?" They said in unison.

Beastboy was allowed to have his voice back and shook his head to make sure he had everything. When he looked forwards, both girls were staring at him, expecting an answer. "I... uh..." Beastboy thought frantically for a suitable answer when one came to him. "I heard it from Trigon while I was in that chamber. He tortured me with a history lesson as well as pain." A slight curl appeared on his lips and he gave a weak laugh to make them believe it. Apparently they did and relaxed slightly. "It's Malchior. Everything he ever said was a lie."

Raven leaned backwards and rested her head on the wall behind her. It never occurred to her that Malchior would lie about every detail from the very start, and if it did, she never gave it much thought. She was too consumed with her own problems that she never questioned the circumstances that led to them.

"Do you remember anything else?" Starfire wanted to make sure they had all the details.

Raven thought hard. "He said something about villages, castles. He wasn't familiar with how things got to be and wanted a history book." Raven sat back up. "That's it. That's all he said. Now let's go. I don't want to stay in here anymore." She had good reason to want to leave. She had been cooped up in that room for God knows how long.

They all got up to leave the room with Starfire striding out of the room. Raven was about to follow, but before she left the room, she stopped. She pulled Beastboy to the side before he could follow Starfire and held his elbow with cold fingers. "Gar."

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you."

He placed his free hand over her hand, warming her fingers between his touch. "You already did."

Acting on its own, her hand sneaked ever closer to his body, trying to draw as much heat as it could. He accepted her unintentional act to get closer and drew her hand closer to his chest, which was blazing with a warmth that danced across her arm and through her shoulder. Her body reacted to the new source of heat and a warm shiver flowed through her body and numbed her extremities. She closed her eyes to relish the new experience. "I did, but I wanted to thank you for not pushing." She opened her eyes to see a green face beaming back at her with a lone fang over his lip. "You saved my life and helped me get back to normal."

"After putting you there in the first place. I kind of started this after all." He replied. It was because of him that everything happened.

Raven looked back with a sparkle in her eyes. "But here you are, at the end."

"Here we are."

Beastboy and Raven inched closer together, but were distracted by a deep rumbling that shook the entire bunker. "Friend Gar and Raven, you must come and see this!"

The two ran to the common area to see Starfire staring in horror out of the window overlooking Jump City. The tallest buildings were enveloped in a shimmering mist and the suspension bridge seemed to be swaying with the wind. The only problem was, there was no wind.

A massive earthquake had ripped through Jump City, forcing the girders of the bridge to bend and shattering the windows high on the skyscrapers, making broken glass rain down on the streets below. The citizens cried out as their neighbors were struck down and the rest cowered behind door frames and below tables, hoping to be spared from what could potentially be the end of them. The shaking ended as quickly as it began and the city was left with more cracks than actual wrecks.

The three super heroes in the bunker were relatively safe from harm, but all of them were greatly disturbed by the event. Beastboy knelt down on the ground and placed a solid hand on the concrete floor. After a moment, he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. "That wasn't supposed to happen." He opened his eyes and looked at his companions. "That wasn't a natural earthquake."

**To be continued.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character or location in the DC Universe. This is and always shall be a work of fiction that I am not profiting from in the slightest.**

**More about Malchior in the final two chapters. That is all.**

**Amenson out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX: Reasons for Destroying**

**Previously:** "_The two ran to the common area to see Starfire staring in horror out of the window overlooking Jump City. The tallest buildings were enveloped in a shimmering mist and the suspension bridge seemed to be swaying with the wind. The only problem was, there was no wind._

_A massive earthquake had ripped through Jump City, forcing the girders of the bridge to bend and shattering the windows high on the skyscrapers, making broken glass rain down on the streets below. The citizens cried out as their neighbors were struck down and the rest cowered behind door frames and below tables, hoping to be spared from what could potentially be the end of them. The shaking ended as quickly as it began and the city was left with more cracks than actual wrecks._

_The three super heroes in the bunker were relatively safe from harm, but all of them were greatly disturbed by the event. Beastboy knelt down on the ground and placed a solid hand on the concrete floor. After a moment, he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. "That wasn't supposed to happen." He opened his eyes and looked at his companions. "That wasn't a natural earthquake."_

Malchior stood poised above the Lazarus Pit with his arms outstretched. The bubbling pool before him shimmered as it recognized the powerful being within its vicinity. He stretched out his consciousness and connected to the vast network of reactive chemicals that permeated the ground and the land around him. Once aware of the network that connected the Pits together, he widened his gaze to the twelve that were on the same continent.

To his bewilderment, the Basins were not where he remembered them to be. He widened his search to the entire landmass. Still, there were none to be found. Digging deeper into the ground and becoming one with the waters, Malchior strained both his energy and his concentration to connect with the many that should still be spotted around the globe. A veil of blackness formed all around his being and filled his vision surrounded by a faint outline of a circle. The entire world was visible to him and it was dark.

A single point of light appeared within the circle, which Malchior recognized as the Basin he was currently using. Another light appeared on the far side of the world, followed by a second and third. He was expecting to see dozens pop up on the globe, but the lights stopped glowing. Four solitary beams of light shining brightly amidst a black world.

A massive tear ripped through Malchior's entire being. Four? There were once hundreds spanning the globe, but now there were less than scales in his claw. He scanned the memories of the trucker and the peasant, but was unable to glean anything. When he looked through the memories of the man he just absorbed, it all became clear.

Humans.

It never occurs to them that a resource is limited. Once they find something that is useful, they take it, consume it, and leave like nothing ever happened. Ra's was the first to see it in the long run.

Rainforests that make the air breathable were cut down to make tables and stools. Liquefied remains of creatures long past were hoarded and used to fuel an ever-growing destructive race. Animals were hunted for their valuable body parts to the point of extinction, the last true death anything can experience.

Ra's saw this and tried to stop mankind from destroying nature, but he was foolish enough to be the worst of them all. Lazarus pits were existing far beyond both humans and dragons, but dragons knew their true purpose. The pits didn't exist to restore life or to communicate over long distances, they stabilized the Earth and allowed life to flourish.

It was known that what was on the surface paled in comparison to what was below. A mere twenty leagues of gravel was all that separated the surface-world from an ocean of brimstone and fire. Religious zealots believed that it was Hell that resided beneath, but the devil himself could not survive down there.

The Lazarus Pits' harsh chemical mixture connected with other locations along the ley lines of the Earth to form an energy barrier that prevented the world from tearing itself apart. The hundreds in unison created a perfect balance of protection, each Pit contributing a small amount to the barrier.

The second that one is depleted of energy, the strain on the surrounding Pits are increased, compensating for the dispersal of the barrier. He didn't know it at the time, but every time Ra's used one to replenish/rejuvenate his physiology, the web of the Earth lost a strand. Add that to a dangerous lifestyle and several centuries of using every Lazarus Pit to heal whatever injury he received and the true scope of the problem was clear. This world is unstable and is slowly tearing itself apart.

With the surface as unstable as it was, it was no surprise that natural disasters were prevalent. Earthquakes in the Caribbean. Floods in China. Tornados in America. Tsunamis in India. Volcanoes in Iceland. The world was shaking itself apart, all because a man wanted to live forever.

His kind knew that the world's end could happen if the Lazarus pits were destroyed and a plan was made for the most extreme eventuality. The Dragons were a proud and powerful race, but if they couldn't rule the world, they planned to make sure nothing else would again. That would have been the case had it not been for the insurmountable pride of the others. They could not think to end their lives if there were no other options, and that's what happened. His kind let themselves be killed rather than kill themselves. The cowards.

Malchior immersed himself in Ra's' memories to find some weakness in human society he could exploit, some way to conquer the world and put him back on his rightful throne. What he saw was nothing short of impressive.

Here was a man who was brilliant, even from his earliest years. His interests in science and medicine were centuries ahead of his time. Throw in true love, loss, and betrayal, and his destiny to change the world was clear to him. He set out to see and experience life in every instance. He witnessed every major event in history, and was partially responsible for most of them. He burned London to the ground, sent small pox to the new world, caused the black death, convinced members of the Christian faith to send soldiers on multiple crusades. He started wars, fermented revolutions, gave power to dictators and used martyrs to achieve his goals. He created a vast organization that ingrained itself in the very fabric of the world. This man constantly changed the world, experimenting with humanity to discover what forms of leadership and lifestyles worked in best the interest of everyone.

However large and encompassing the man's life had become, it couldn't hide an obvious fact: he had been trying to teach mankind a lesson for more than seven centuries with unlimited wealth and resources at his command, but humans still lived their lives as they always had. Malchior saw the world today drastically different than the way it once was.

What was once a desolate world with few borders and no unification was now a thriving metropolis of entirely separate countries working on nothing but to one-up the neighbor. What was once a few peasants scattered about was now billions of people working together to forge a new future for themselves. What was once a world that could be and was conquered by Dragons was now the rotten, corrupted horde of humanity, unwilling to submit to anyone that would interrupt their profits.

The choice became clear. Humanity no longer deserved dominance over the planet. It was up to Malchior to take it all away.

He paused. Is this really necessary? Do I want to take away everything from everyone? What was he thinking. Of course he did. The cockroaches of the world rose up and plagued the world he shaped with money and politics. They spread across the land like a flood and destroyed the lands they inhabited. They cut down forests to make toilet paper to wipe their asses. They flooded valleys with dams to power their nose-hair trimmers. They slaughtered animals so they could have leather whips to be struck with when they were naughty. They tore holes in the ground to find metal so that they could encase their toilets in gold.

Life was never for the enjoyment of the everyday life or the most forbidden pleasures. Life was meant for bettering oneself and striving to bring the world into a new age of enlightenment. Life was meant to rear offspring to carry on a name. Life was meant to protect those dearest without regard for one's own safety. Life was not meant for this.

He spent a thousand years trapped inside of a book. He had no sympathy for man. He had no sympathy for the fauna or flora of the world. All of the people he despised was on this planet and he would readily sacrifice his own life to make sure they never live theirs. Beastboy and Raven would pay for simply existing. Someone said that an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. A slight smirk appeared on his lips. Sometimes, an eye for an eye isn't enough.

Seven billion, a number that was staggering. Seven billion separate lives, each with their own wants, hopes and ideals. Seven billion that lived, laughed, and learned every day. Seven billion people that wear masks to fit in with what they think in society. On the surface, humanity appeared to be a civilized society with a bright future. The true face of humanity hid itself underneath the pretenses and facades

People lie. People steal. People make up stories that cast blame on others. People cheat. People kill. People spread gossip and rumors for the sole reason of humiliating someone even slightly more popular than themselves. People sodomize. People terrorize. People take advantage of those who were more impressionable than themselves. No matter who they were or what they did, not a single person was innocent of anything.

He had to make the sacrifice. He had to judge the world. The entire human race took the perfect society from his kind and ripped it half to pieces. It was up to him to finish the job. He would do what his race could not and terminate all of the remaining pits. The loss of the energy barrier would destabilize the Earth. The crust would shatter, forcing the magma to erupt across the globe. The resulting temperature increase would cause ice floes to melt and the oceans to boil. The entire planet would no longer be able to support life and become just another hunk of rock circling a heartless sun.

With his mind made up, Malchior opened his eyes and took in the haunting light of the water. Everything about it seemed to radiate power, as if to implore him that it was still of use. Malchior ignored the urge to bathe in its waters and summoned a single tendril of black energy, which submerged into the pool. Expecting to draw the energy out instantly, he concentrated all of his power on the single wisp of power he created. The flow was considerably more powerful than he expected and a surge of feedback burst into his body. The immense excess of energy stunned Malchior momentarily, but once he was aware of his senses, he looked back at the Pit.

It should have worked.

Something felt different, more volatile, but what could it be? If anything, the dwindling numbers of Pits around the world should have weakened it, not increase its potency ten-fold. He then sensed something in his stolen memories. The girl. She knew.

He rose to a standing position and turned around to look at Nyssa, who was still beside her father's ashes. "You, child. How is this so powerful?

She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. Unable to conceal anything, she spoke. "They were useless after being used once, so I researched to find out how to increase the life-span of them. To bring people back from the dead multiple times, others must have their lives taken away in the Pit." Ritual sacrifice was crude and old fashioned, but effective.

Malchior gave a hearty growl in response. Humans were the only species that even considered sacrificing one of their own kind for any reason. It was understandable in its own way. Whenever something happened that was strange and eldritch, it was considered supernatural or divine in nature and demanded the blood of an innocent to satiate an assumed thirst for souls. Murder was the proper name for it. Murder for a higher purpose, or that's what was believed. Humans, pitiful creatures that were completely unwilling to accept anything that went against their belief systems or moral codes.

"I saw what you were doing. If you aren't injured or close to the abyss, the Pit will kill you." Nyssa was concerned that the man who killed her father was going to do something drastic. The worst part was that she couldn't stop him even if he was.

Malchior could feel her fear oozing out of her. "Foolish child. The Basins have a much higher purpose. I must access its power to achieve my goals."

The manner in which he spoke had a very malevolent tone to it that sent shivers down her spine. "Why?" She whispered.

Without thinking, he answered her question. "I plan to deplete the reserve of energy within this chamber!" Why did he say that? He had no reason to reveal his plans. It must have been a small emotion that leaked through with the memories of Ra's. Malchior never had offspring of his own, but something enamored him to that girl. He hated it. He would have to sever the connection as soon as possible or at least hold off long enough until it wouldn't be an issue.

She stumbled. Why would he do that? She went through all the trouble to make sure that the Lazarus Pits would never become useless again, and now someone was willing to destroy all of it? "You... you can't. The waters must stay active or everything will be lost! They are vital to the stability of the world. If they go..." She trailed off when she saw his eyes. They weren't eyes that were interested in what she was saying. He already knew. She understood now. His were eyes that cared not for money or the plight of others. They were the eyes of evil.

Malchior probed the young girl with his eyes. She must have been brilliant to figure that out. The existence of the Basins was hidden from humanity, but the true purpose was completely forbidden from even being mentioned. Truly amazing that the a single human could deduce anything above its healing properties. "If they go, your world will be destroyed. It's part of the plan." The conviction in his face was overpowering to the point of paralysis.

He had to do it as quickly as possible, but the energy within the water was too great to assimilate at his current state. He would have to meditate for several hours to gain the strength necessary to take all of the power to deplete one of the last Lazarus Pits. It would require a delicate weave of the most complex wards he could imagine with a touch of draconic magic to finish the job. He had much work to do.

**(Several hours later)**

He had sufficiently prepared for his plans and was properly reinforced to absorb the entire force he was expecting. The only problem was that it only lasted for a short time. He would have to prepare for several hours before every Pit he wanted to destroy. No matter. Nobody could possibly stop him now.

Malchior stood before the waters and looked back to the girl behind him. "Brace yourself child!"

He walked out to the water and stepped onto it, the skin causing ripples to spread outwards, but not falling past the surface. When he reached the center, he kneeled down and assumed a lotus position. Concentrating deeply, he summoned a tendril of energy like before. It shot high up above him, but unlike the first, it split off into several separate strands. Malchior raised a closed fist and plunged into the water while each of the strands split off into several vines branched down and submerged into the Pit below.

A cacophony of bubbles erupted on the entire length of the water as if the green liquid was conscious. The glowing lights fluctuated rapidly, spiking with light and dimming in quick succession. Cracks formed along the walls of the large chamber and the veins slowly receded downwards. A small cloud of dust fell from the ceiling, followed by large rocks that rained down on the water. A massive chunk of granite dislodged from the wall and fell to where Nyssa was standing.

Unable to run away and acting on instinct, she raised her arms as if to impede the impact of the stone on her head and screamed to alert anyone in the vicinity of her plight. Malchior stretched out his free hand in her direction and curled it up into a claw. The rock fell, but inches before it could hit the girl, it impacted against a black shield and shattered, the pieces falling harmlessly away from her.

He closed his fist and drew it to his chest, causing the shield to close in on her and pulled her towards him. She reached him just as the water lost its luminescence and the entire ceiling caved in. He summoned a portal of dark energy and escaped the collapsing chamber with the girl in tow.

The portal spat them out several hundred feet above the surface of the mines. Nyssa was held tightly by Malchior as a giant crater formed around where the pit once was, as if the supports holding the ground up simply disappeared. The movement of such a large mass of Earth sent a shockwave outwards spewing up dust and ripping abysses in the world around it. A particularly large gorge sped outwards to the shimmering city in the distance, completely engulfing it.

Within a matter of seconds, the entire city fell in on itself. The tallest buildings tumbled over, crushed under their own weight. The highways split open and seemed to devour the mass of cars that were driving through. Massive sparks flew across the air as electrical lines snapped and lampposts were ripped from their frames. Water pipes ruptured, spewing tonnes of grey water and waste to fill the void that formed where a city had stood for decades. It all happened so fast that the millions of voices inside of the city didn't even have time to scream.

Malchior could do nothing but smile at what just happened. He held the power of God, the ability and the will to take life away. He also felt energized from drawing energy away from the equivalent of a hundred sacrificed souls, so much so that he needed time to rest and recover. He would destroy the other three Pits, but he needed to do it slowly.

He then noticed his arm wrapped around the girl with him, holding her so she wouldn't fall to her death. "I saved your life." He stated, as if in shock that it was even possible.

"T...thank you." She murmured in response. What else could she do? The creature holding her killed her father, saved her life, and then destroyed a city. She couldn't feel any regret from his actions, only pride at what he had done. The monster had killed a million people and he didn't even blink.

"Don't. It won't happen again." With the destruction done and the worst effects over, he lowered the both of them to the ground, dropped her, and started walking along the broken highway below them.

With tears in her eyes and nowhere else to go, Nyssa al Ghul stood up, dusted herself off and followed him to wherever he would go. Malchior rolled his eyes. Just like any other, when everything they know changes, they follow anyone to do anything so long as it gives them purpose. Pitiful creatures.

**(Over the course of the next month)**

_"It's been a week since the disaster that literally shook the world; Las Vegas wiped off the map. Geologists and seismologists are still stumped as to how this could have happened. The city isn't on a fault line and there has been no major volcanic activity for almost a century! Astronomers have not expected any planetary collisions and any mining operations were suspended years ago. There is no logical explanation for how a city and the surrounding area can simply disappear into a crater!"_

_"Many people view the loss of Las Vegas as a divine event; the extermination of the city known around the world as a hub for sin and debauchery is being compared to the biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah."_

_"Australia was hit with a natural disaster similar to what occurred in Nevada just a few weeks ago. Telemetry detected near the suspected center of the disaster was reported to be upwards of 11 on the Richter scale, though all indications show that this is impossible. The Death Toll is considerably less because of how far it occurred from civilization, but the world is still reeling from the shock of the destruction. Many scientific communities can find no relevant data as to if these events can be predicted, if indeed they will happen again."_

_"Doomsday preachers are out in droves across the world as order and discipline is being ignored. Drinkable water and gas prices have shot through the roof, forcing many people to resort to rioting and looting to obtain the supplies they need."_

_"The world seems to be turning against us, over a hundred separate recorded natural disasters in a single month. The most recent notable earthquake similar to the first in Nevada occurred in Tibet not two hours ago. The ground has not yet collapsed, forcing rescue crews to rush and evacuate as many people as they can. "_

_"Board up your homes! Protect your children! This is the Rapture, people! Judgment day has come at last to make us pay for our sins! Repent! Repent! Rep... (the sound of glass breaking and a chair being thrown.)"_

Beastboy turned off the news. What was on used to be depressing, but now, it was every five minutes with some mention of a natural disaster. If the crater in Nevada could be considered the start of it all, then over a hundred separate events were recorded. The death toll in the last week alone was already hitting 8 digits.

The Titans had all agreed to make their way to Tibet to assist in any way they could and ascertain what Malchior was planning. It was obvious that he was responsible, but there was no way to determine how. They had been to the other two craters, but found no evidence of what happened, only a spring of pure water in the center. Hopefully they could glean some information from the location in Tibet before the ground collapsed.

They were flying across the ocean in the T-Ship en route when the latest quake happened, so they had a very good chance to get there and help before even more people died. It was at this time that Beastboy looked over at the compartment that Raven resided in. She had used the lengthy flight time to catch up with some reading, allowing him to look at her without arousing suspicion.

He had been extremely glad that Raven had fully recovered and become more than just a husk, but now he saw her less than ever. He understood it too: she had a new emotion, so she spent hours training to grasp the full extent of her greater power as well as meditate for days at a time to make sure it would come to heel at her commands. He never saw her as much as he would have liked and she no longer needed help with anything. Every day for several hours, she would go inside the training room for a few hours and lock the door behind her.

There were many days when he would watch security cameras to watch her train and make sure she never hurt herself. There were a couple of incidents where she underestimated the extent of her powers and injured herself, but whenever he knocked on the door, she told him to go away. He felt unneeded and useless. All he could do was sit back and worry.

Raven viewed things quite differently. To her, she had a new lease on life. All of her life, she had to suppress her Rage to make sure that it wouldn't kill everyone she cared about. Now the concentration to keep the power-hungry maniac at bay was freed for other tasks, giving her a freedom she never dreamed possible.

That wasn't to say that she was 'normal'. The empath was still half-demon and the urges to do evil were still present, but they didn't have to be ignored or pushed away. She could face them head on and use them as an incentive to work harder.

The only issue she had to deal with now was that her current level of concentration had less to manage than she was used to, making her attempts to hover shoot up and her attempts to teleport overshoot the distance by a long shot.

Starfire had stolen glances at both of her friends and been greatly disturbed. She was ecstatic to see her friends change from the victims of an assault to the dedicated force of justice they always were, but something was off. Raven was more isolated than ever, though she suspected that was because the empath was afraid to be in the same room as her green comrade. Beastboy was often distracted by empty spots and she heard him talking to himself whenever he thought no one was listening. He also had a harshness to him that was never present before, but it was understandable. They had all been through so much in the past two months.

Things were hopeless and dismal in the world, but the fact that they were all still alive meant everything. The Titans were all on their way to the most recent disaster point to find some way of stopping all of the destruction. All that was left was to find the dragon before he hurt anyone again.

**To Be Continued**

**(\/) (;,,;) (\/)**

**I know I'm making great leaps and bounds when it comes to Dragons and the Lazarus pit, but there were a lot of holes in the information available to me and I have tried my best to fit the pieces together while achieving everything I want in this story. There's also lots of disgust for my own kind in here, although I think it's not entirely baseless. Anyways, it's from the perspective of a guy who has seen the darkest side of man for the last several centuries and a lizard who's been trussed up in a book for a millennia. Wouldn't you be a bit angry too?**

**A fun fact: I know a guy who's the great grandson of the guy that invented the Richter scale. Amazing things happen when you least expect them, right? The final chapter is imminent and if I enjoy writing it as much as the others, it should be done in a week, two at the most. See you at the finish line!**

**Amenson out.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X: The Unbearable Chains**

**I don't want to spoil anything, but when(or indeed, if) you finish reading this, I want you to know that I'm sorry. I started this with the intent of writing something dark and sad, and I've accomplished that. I have never needed reviews or subscriptions to complete my work, but I would love to know what people think of the final chapter or the story in general. It's obviously not to everyone's taste, but was it worth the read? Onwards.**

**Edit: The second in this trilogy is up and is called 'Chains of the Sacrifice'.**

**Previously**_**:**__ "Starfire had stolen glances at both of her friends and been greatly disturbed. She was ecstatic to see her friends change from the victims of an assault to the dedicated force of justice they always were, but something was off. Raven was more isolated than ever, though she suspected that was because the empath was afraid to be in the same room as her green comrade. Beastboy was often distracted by empty spots and she heard him talking to himself whenever he thought no one was listening. He also had a harshness to him that was never present before, but it was understandable. They had all been through so much in the past two months._

_Things were hopeless and dismal in the world, but the fact that they were all still alive meant everything. The Titans were all on their way to the most recent disaster point to find some way of stopping all of the destruction. All that was left was to find the dragon before he hurt anyone again."_

Malchior teleported to a mansion high in the Himalayas and stepped onto a balcony overlooking a river at the bottom of a deep gorge. He was able to find the castle with little difficulty, as it was the original location of the keep he resided in before being defeated by Rorek of Nol. It had been reconstructed and improved by Ra's over the centuries that it had been in his possession, but it was still home to the dragon. He smiled at the irony of it, the place where he was defeated would become the place where he enacted his final revenge.

He heard rapid footsteps and shouted orders coming towards him, but Malchior paid no heed. He merely rolled up his sleeves and broke through the window into full view of a half dozen armed men. He would have to meditate as he had before, but first he had to rid the household of pesky rodents.

**(Scene Break)**

The Titans flew over the still-crumbling city of Lhasa, where the most recent earthquake had struck. They had no idea what to look for, but they searched for any sign of what could have caused it or even where it originated. As they lowered to hovering height, they saw the true scope of what was happening. Even though the quake had struck an hour ago, the state of the city was still utter panic.

The highways were blocked with crashed cars and covered with water from broken fire hydrants. People ran away from the city with whatever valuables they could grab, some of them not having the time to dress properly. Some were kneeling outside of collapsed housed and crying, as if lamenting the loss of loved ones inside. Starfire tore her gaze away to keep from crying at the immense sadness in the city.

They were drawn to a particularly large and modern building that looked like it was about to fall, so they diverted course to assist in any way they could. Just as they approached it, the structure collapsed under its own weight and crumpled down, crushing whoever and whatever was unfortunate enough to be underneath.

The T-Ship landed a safe distance away and the occupants sprung out to help any survivors inside. Starfire used her immense strength to throw large chunks of rock and wall to rescue any who might have been trapped beneath them. She had rescued two girls and an elderly man when she was distracted by the sound of breaking glass. When she looked around, she saw a few vandals running out of a store with stolen goods overflowing in their arms.

Outraged by the act of thievery, she flew towards them with star bolts in her hands and her eyes glowing with justice. "Leave now and you shall not be harmed!" She demanded. The thieves took one look at her and ran, dropping the loot in the process.

Beastboy took to the nearby roads, morphing into his abominable sasquatch form and used its size and strength to rip car doors off to free trapped passengers. Many bystanders were shocked to see such a monstrous being in their city, but relaxed when they saw him helping people.

Raven hovered to the fallen building and enveloped doors and walls with her black energy and threw them to the side, trying to save anyone left inside. She moved into a collapsed hallway and saw that the floor above had crashed through the ceiling and made a ramp to the next level. She was about to go up it when she heard a muffled cry behind it.

As she cast her magic on the floor to move it away, she heard a scream. "No, Malchior. Stay away!"

The others were drawn to the mention of his name and soon the three Titans stood together to see who knew their enemy. Raven lifted the floor up to its original position and Starfire used a beam to weld it into place, revealing a dusty woman beneath it. She had her leg trapped beneath a large desk and had a broken phone beside her and an old-fashioned pistol a fair distance away. She stared at Raven, whose black energy receded into her hands."You... You have his powers... How?" Nyssa asked. She had no idea what was happening or who they were, but it could only be bad.

Raven narrowed her eyes at the woman. "He stole my powers."

A flash of recognition appeared to her and she whispered. "Raven."

She stepped forwards. "Where is he going? What is he planning?"

Beastboy interrupted her. "Maybe we should save her first." His doppelganger stepped into view and shook its head. He was about to inquire as to what it meant, but it raised a finger to its lips in a silencing motion. He stopped and paid attention to the woman.

"Pointless" The woman muttered. "Why live today if I'm going to die tomorrow?"

"What do you mean? Tell me!" Raven demanded.

"He plans to destroy the world. How do you deal with that?"

Raven's eyes lost their shine as her worst fears set in. She pulled up her hood and stood back. The motion went unnoticed by Beastboy, but his doppelgänger shot a suspicious look her way. A gleam shot across its face and it gave a toothy grin as it realized what she had to do.

Starfire stepped forwards to voice her concerns. "Excuse me, stranger, but we really must discover a way to rid ourselves of a troublesome dragon. We wish to know where he is going!"

"Why?" She winced as pain shot through her leg. "Your dragon left me here to die. Why should I help you if you can't stop him?"

"If this is really to be your last act on this world, do you really want it to be refusing to help the only people who can save everyone?" Starfire spoke with the clarity and wisdom of someone who held an unadulterated love of life.

Nyssa closed her eyes for a while as if trying to think about her actions. Several tears fell down her face. She was crying as she saw what she became, what he turned her into. He cared so little for the world that she shared his views. Maybe they really could do it. She brought her hand to her trapped leg, wincing as she opened a pouch strapped to her thigh. Inside was a flash drive, which she held out to them. "There are four locations on this. You will find him at the co-ordinates high in the mountains. If you hurry, you can meet him before it's too late."

A muscle spasm hit her and she contracted her chest in pain. Starfire knelt down and took the information, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure we can do nothing to assist you?"

"Leave me. Save your precious world."

Raven and Starfire turned around and briskly walked towards the T-Ship, but Beastboy remained. He walked to her left, kneeled down, and picked up the pistol that was out of her reach. They stared at each other as he moved towards her, gun in hand. He looked at the weapon with curiosity. He had been shot many times, but this was the first time he ever held the cause of so much destruction. Deciding against using it, he placed it within arm's reach of Nyssa and nodded to her.

With his business done, he started after his teammates. They walked together towards the T-Ship, but halfway there, a gunshot echoed through the streets. Raven and Starfire stopped and turned around to investigate, but Beastboy strode past of them, knowing full well what happened.

They soon joined him and entered the vehicle to head to their next and possibly final location. All they could do was sit back and contemplate their lives while the auto-pilot flew them straight to Malchior.

In mid-flight, Raven assumed a lotus position and carefully placed her mirror in a special place on her console. Her mindscape was considerably clearer, making the approaching journey to her innermost regions much easier than the last time. Comfortable and at peace with her surroundings, she calmed herself to the point of barely being considered alive. Her heart rate had slowed to a crawl and her breathing lessened, only taking enough breath in to chant her mantra repeatedly.

Her vision that was previously obstructed by her eyelids rushed deep within her and she felt her soul-self touch down on the familiar rocky walkway in the middle of nothingness. She was about to start walking to where her emotions would meet, but a voice was heard from behind her.

_"Break his bones. Tear his skin. Drink his blood. Scar his face. Sever his limbs. Crush his heart."_

The brown-cloaked emotion hung from one of the highest branches of the dead tree, muttering dark threats and cruel intentions that would be inflicted on Malchior should it ever get its hands on him.

"Fury." She called out to it, but it paid no heed.

_"Rip his garters. Shred his entrails. Desecrate his flesh. Impale his body. Burn his hair. Roast his balls." _

"Fury!" She yelled out. The emotion became silent and jumped high into the air. Raven lost track of it, but a soft thump was heard behind her. She turned around to stare at her likeness inches away from her. She didn't flinch at the close proximity, but backed away to observe what she perceived to be an appropriate distance to converse.

_"We are close to him, yes? I can smell him, so revolting yet so satisfying to be at the apex of revenge."_

Raven crossed her arms. "I'll have to deny you your desires. You know full well what I have to do."

_"Something foolish and drastic. I do not relish the thought of meeting our father again. "_

"Neither do I, but it is the only way to truly stop him"

_"Are you sure? Are you that set to drag the both of you to Hell?"_

"I have no choice. We aren't powerful enough to kill him and he will always try to hurt us. If I've learned anything, it's that he will do anything to get what he wants."

_"You intend to perform the most forbidden magic known to our kind. It is not something to be taken lightly. " _

"I'm not."

The emotion tensed up as if becoming more serious than it previously was. _"You are absolutely set on this plan?"_

Raven nodded. "Completely."

Fury relaxed, but still glared at its progenitor. _"I understand your position and that there aren't many options, but consider our opinions more often. We are a part of you, Raven. Think of the people you will leave behind? Do they not deserve to know your plans?"_

"If I tell them, they'll stop me, and I can't allow that. I was responsible for ending the world once. I will not stand by and let it happen again!"

_"You would forsake your friends to accomplish your wishes. You're finally starting to think like a demon. Good."_

Raven understood her emotion's opinion, but the worst part was that she agreed with it. She had been embracing her worse half more, mainly because Fury was now the reigning force of evil and Raven didn't hold it back.

She felt terrible. Knowing that the only option for them was to sacrifice herself was bad enough as it was, but the added guilt of not telling Beastboy or Starfire was overpowering. She promised herself that if she were ever going to bring about the end of the world, she would tell her friends so they had a chance to help her.

The situation was different, it always was, but there was no way she could tell anyone. Starfire would probably tie her up to prevent her from reaching Malchior. She might even go so far as fight him herself if it kept the two of them apart, but Beastboy... He was what her Knowledge would call an 'Unknown Variable'. There was no way to predict how he would handle her decision or if he would try to prevent it. Perhaps it would be best to tell him.

It was the very least that she could do. After all, look what he had done for her. Her talk with Starfire opened her eyes to his actions and intentions. After saving her from Malchior's influence twice now, was she really going to abandon him without so much as a word?

But she couldn't tell him. There was no way that she would trouble him with such a personal vendetta or the morally terrible thing that she was going to do. It was clear to her that being human didn't work on Malchior, so she would have to think like a demon.

The only thing that would work out in every scenario she saw was an apology after the deed was done. It was a cowardly act, but it was the only way she could atone to her friends for the mass of sins she committed. As she accepted the fact that her more demonic side would be the answer to the problem, the space in her pod grew ever so darker.

She bent down to a compartment next to her knees and removed a brown parcel that still had the straps attached. After two quick swipes with her long fingernails, the bindings fell to the floor and a calligraphy set sat before her. It was one of the many gifts that Beastboy had obtained for her, but lay neglected in a box or corner somewhere. This particular one was given to her from Russia, a collection of pens, quills, and ink that was meant to be an outlet for her 'artsy' side, but since she never needed to practice her writing, it stayed forgotten in the T-Ship.

Raven had to use it now, for both the first time and the last. She took out the paper and rested it on her lap, a faint parchment smell filling the area. The ink rested to the side, vibrating slightly but never spilling, thanks to Cyborg's engineering. She brought forth the quill and began to write her final farewell.

**(Meanwhile)**

The green superhero pondered, something that was rare and fleeting, but useful nonetheless. He had a great amount to think about, amplified by the impending Armageddon. His counterpart was surprisingly silent, but considering what was happening, he couldn't blame it. The need to survive was universal, and was even felt by clones and evil twins.

Beastboy started talking to himself. "Hey, I know you can hear me. I need your help."

A brief moment of silence filled his pod, then a green hand placed itself on the outer casing of his window. Another hand joined it and a ruggedly handsome face rose between them. Of course it could have been a monstrously hideous face to others, but he was an optimist first and foremost.

It stood up and hopped along the length of the T-Ship, seemingly impervious to the winds and gravity force that whirled around the outside. It jumped on top of the hatch of the pod in front and turned to face him. Its mouth moved, but it sounded as clear as day. _"What is it that you need?"_

Beastboy rested his head back and closed his eyes. "I'm kinda... stuck. I don't know what I can do. How can I compete against a dragon when I was useless the last two times?"

It gave a passing glance to where Raven was meditating and raised an eyebrow. _"Are you willing to give up everything to stop him? Will you sacrifice all that you care about to save the world?"_

He opened his eyes and stared at his counterpart. Beastboy thought back to his days in the Doom Patrol, when Mento would ask the same questions. His training and idealistic views both pointed to one answer. "Anything."

It gave a wide grin that showed off its pearly whites, yet considerably sharper than the average person. _"Then fight tooth and claw. Use every power at your disposal. Submit to your instincts. I have a feeling someone needs a distraction."_

For once, he listened to himself and resigned to the fact that he couldn't do it by himself. He was glad to have Starfire and Raven with him. With them, maybe he had a chance.

A couple of hours later, the T-Ship was flying well into the Himalayas, forced to fly close to the ground to see the mountains below the heavy cloud belt. The mountains were fairly easy to navigate, but the mist was becoming denser by the minute.

"How are supposed to see anything in this fog?" Beastboy asked with his face pressed to the window. Starfire also looked intently out of the window, hoping to see any terrain to guide with. According to the navigation screen, they were quickly closing in on their destination, but there was no indication as to where it was. A massive cliff face appeared in front of them and the proximity alert beeped rapidly, alerting them to the imminent danger.

Starfire jammed on the pitch, forcing the aircraft into a rapid incline. The cliff came within a few feet of the rising ship, but the two never collided. The gravity forces on the people inside pressed them to their seats. They quickly cleared the summit and Starfire eased back on the throttle, leaving them in a hovering position.

The sudden increase in height made all of the Titans pant with exhaustion even though they were out of danger. Raven sat with her eyes bulging, but relatively calm while Starfire and Beastboy quickly patting their bodies to check if they still had all of the moving parts. Raven calmed down when she saw them lean their heads back in relief, and blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't a dream.

The excess air that roared through the ships turbines blew some of the mist and fog away, revealing a lone mansion on the top of the cliff. Starfire yells found it. Skillfully piloting the aircraft, she maneuvered it to one of the open balconies overlooking the mountains. As they landed and disembarked, things were clearly ill at ease.

The glass windows and doors to the balcony were shattered, some by force and others by bullets. Carefully stepping around the sharp shards, the Titans saw at least a dozen men with red cloaks torn apart. The blood had clotted on the floor, making it sticky and red. Upon closer inspection, raven saw some slight depressions in the liquid as well as bloody footprints leading outside the chamber and down a corridor to the left.

Raven signaled to her friends and they all ran down the hall, following the trail of bloody footprints, desecrated bodies, and destroyed furniture. The trail went cold many times in search of the Dragon, but Beastboy was quick to help tracks scents and the electro-magnetic fields generated by every living soul.

The trail led them down a long labyrinth of passages and corridors going deeper than was expected with such an old mansion. The surroundings quickly changed and the Titans were running down tunnels gouged out of the rock in contrast to the bright and cheery hallways before.

After a long path through crypts and caves, they came across a large cavern that glowed with a sickly hue. A bright light was seen in the distance, illuminating a bubbling green pool with jagged rocks forming a ceiling around it. The ground was disturbed with heavy bootprints and more dried blood.

"I have killed everyone in this house. How is it that I can sense life?" A figure rose as the light emitting from his body dimmed. A terribly familiar body was seen, a flowing mane of purest white, a muscular form that looked like it could easily rip through a brick wall, a smile that could haunt a man for the rest of his life, and sapphire eyes that looked past the body and stared at the deepest darkest secrets.

"Malchior." Raven said his name with as much courage as she could manage, but she could already feel her Fury creeping through her body.

"Raven, my dear. Have you come back for another night of passion?"

Starfire summoned up a large star bolt and threw it at him, hitting him directly in the face. The smoke from the blast cleared, giving way to Malchior's unscathed face.

Malchior gave a deadpan look at the action. "That's a yes then?"

The second he finished, Raven couldn't contain her Fury any longer and it completely took over her body. Her hair bristled as if alive, her cloak flowed as if hurtling through the sky, her arms outstretched as if they would tear him to pieces if they came close to him, and four pure violet eyes that burned so bright that it was almost blinding.

Instead of cowering in fear, Malchior's eyes flashed, reveling in the power he was witnessing. "No matter what powers you have obtained, you will all fall here."

Starfire flew to his left and Beastboy dashed off to his right while Raven slowly rose, summoning dark energy that surrounded everything around her. Possessed with the essence of Fury, Raven advanced to meet the waiting dragon. Knowing that her powers were useless on him, she instead used them to augment her physical prowess and affect the terrain in the hopes that she would get the upper hand. She enveloped several surrounding boulders with magic and tore them from the ground, jumping on one of them as they flew through the air above. Both Starfire and Beastboy entered the fray in order to catch him unawares.

Unaffected by the awesome display of power before him, Malchior merely stood his ground, waiting for anything to get close enough for him to destroy. Raven sent a sizable chunk of rock flying at Malchior's head, which crumbled to dust inches before impact. Not waiting for a reaction, Starfire and Raven started flinging every projectile they could summon or control at him, hoping to break through whatever was shielding him.

He skillfully evaded all of the attacks with breathtaking accuracy and started his own, creating intensely burning fireballs and flinging them back towards his enemies. Beastboy slithered up from behind him as a cobra and lunged, latching onto the pulsing leg in front of him and attempted to poison the dragon. His fangs couldn't even break the skin and Beastboy had to detach in order to avoid the sweeping hand that was descending to rip him off.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Starfire swooped into position directly above the albino and loosed a steady stream of energy from her eyes, singeing the ground around him, but still not affecting Malchior. He shifted targets to the Tamaranian, but she had already moved out of range by that time, allowing Beastboy to try his hand again.

He unleashed the most complicated combination of attacks he could think of. He used a cheetah's speed to get the initial momentum he needed, the jaw power of a crocodile to clamp down on the dragon, and the size and flexibility of an anaconda to restrain Malchior as best as he could. Unable to do anything more than turn his head, the dragon gritted his teeth. This was getting out of hand.

He concentrated all of his energy inwards, collecting an inordinate amount of heat inside of his body and allowing it to fester. The snake held on as valiantly as it could, but loosened when the risk of irreparable harm was too great. Now unhindered by the reptile, Malchior threw his limbs outwards, throwing Beastboy high into the air. The changeling shifted into a falcon to control the rapid ascent and landed safely on the ceiling.

Raven jumped across the still-hovering rocks to avoid detection, but the movement only served to alert Malchior to her position. "Play-time's over, little girl." He muttered. The dragon raised closed fists in the air and slammed them down on the ground, forcing numerous black spikes to emerge from the surrounding area. One of them directly impaled the rock Raven resided on, making her lose her balance and fall.

The loss of concentration on Raven's end caused the floating rocks to drop, making the ground tremble with every impact. Starfire had to move quickly to dodge the falling rocks while Raven merely hit the ground directly, hair mixing with the dust as she collided. Beastboy say it all with his enhanced vision and a strong sense of animalistic instinct rumbled within him. He heard a faint voice say something before his vision dimmed. "My turn."

A ferocious roar echoed through the chamber, and when Malchior looked up to see, all he could catch was a green blur. A soft impact was heard behind him, but by the time he turned around, only a small cloud of dust remained. Malchior looked around furiously, trying to track the source of the sound and movement quickly jumping its way through the maze of fallen rocks. Starfire used this time to make sure Raven was uninjured. With both of them conscious and aware, they stared at the battle of monsters occurring before them.

The dragon's body was faced forwards when a powerful force hit him in the back of the head, making him stumble forwards. He turned around only to have another hit come at him from above him.

Malchior grew angrier as the same monster that got the better of him before gave him an even harder time now. Unable to anticipate its movements, he was forced to swing his arms randomly and lash out with tendrils of energy on places where the Beast was already long gone. Hit upon hit rained down on The dragon, who was still incapable of tracking his enemy, closed his eyes to shut out as many distractions as possible. A loud bang came from the distance and Malchior turned to face it, finally confident that this was it. He was mistaken.

The Beast jumped down directly in front of the ancient sorcerer and punched him directly upwards, an uppercut that sent him flying through the air. Instead of falling back to the ground, Malchior hovered in mid-air and smirked. "Gotcha." He laughed.

It tried to jump up after him, but several tendrils of energy bound its feet, rendering it impossible to move. Malchior flew down to it and tried to overcome and kill the green annoyance with his bare hands, but the creature was unwilling to submit, using every muscle and bone structure to beat the dragon off. The previous bout had worn down Malchior's shield to negligible strength, making their duel one of pure brute power.

A flurry of head butts and primal slashes ripped at his skin, drawing blood and denting bones with every hit. He retaliated by parrying the blows with his physical presence and attacking with his metaphysical. The green fur became matted with blood and the liquid transferred between them, slowly turning the two distinct figures into identical red beings fueled by their own pain. Every injury that it received made its attacks stronger and more ferocious while Malchior's face grew more contorted with anger for every second that the Beast remained a threat.

Feeling enraged and furious, he grabbed both of the Beast's arms and held them down while a spear of black energy shot into its shoulder with such force that it was catapulted far away, into the direction of the two spectators.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Malchior yelled as the monster shrunk back to the human boy, clutching his shoulder in pain.

"Beastboy!" Raven yelled. She ran forwards and knelt down in front of him, putting pressure on the newly formed wound. She glared at Malchior, who was currently evading a flurry of star bolts from the Tamaranian. She looked back to Beastboy whose eyes were shut from the agony. She cupped his face with her hands and brought his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered while slipping a neatly folded envelope into his pocket. "Don't follow me."

Raven stood up, chest heaving from the guilt and anticipation of the moment she had vowed never to see since she could remember. She used her final reserves of power to open up a black portal and disappeared inside. Malchior, who had successfully beaten Starfire off with a massive gust of wind felt a collection of energy behind him. He smirked when he realized who was behind him.

He whirled around with his arm outstretched and grabbed the newcomer directly on the throat. He raised his chin in arrogance and pleasure at the knowledge that he had finally won. "You never should have come, Raven. The only pity is that I will have to send you to Hell before you can witness this world's final moment."

Beastboy sat up and stared at the sight before his eyes. He had her and Raven was scared. The only problem was that she wasn't scared of him. She was scared of herself.

Raven's eyes split into four and an otherworldly and guttural voice roared from deep within her. **"If I go to Hell, I'm taking you with me!"**

Beastboy shot up and sprinted towards Raven, ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder. He watched in horror as she dug her fingers into Malchior's arm. He gave a silent roar of pain, completely unaware that the demoness had created a red portal directly underneath their feet.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, Beastboy quickly closed the distance between them, but as he reached the portal, both Raven and Malchior had already disappeared through it. He slid on his knees to the area where the portal was still closing, hoping to go after them.

The portal closed just as he reached it, but Beastboy was determined to go through, resorting to pounding the rough ground with nothing but bloody fists in an attempt to break through.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No..."

He muttered to himself, as if the repeated denial would magically reverse time and bring her back to him. Starfire slowly walked up beside him and placed a sorrowful hand on his shoulder.

The letter that Raven had given him dropped onto the ground beside the weeping Titan and Starfire knelt down to pick it up. She broke the seal and read the inscription inside.

_I'm sorry for everything  
><em>_He will pay for his sins  
><em>_I will miss you both  
><em>_This is goodbye, forever_

Inside the letter was a smaller folded paper with the letters 'BB' inscribed on it. Not even considering opening something that wasn't addressed to her, she knelt down beside her friend and gently handed him the envelope.

He took it in his hands and read the short goodbye, shutting his eyes tightly after every line as if to burn her words into his very soul. Noticing the extra letter, he took it in his hands and delicately opened each fold like it was a fragile flower. Inside was art in the form of calligraphy. Each ink stroke was beautiful to behold and the script was flawless. The parchment was purple and his enhanced senses picked up the faint smell of lavender.

It was written with the gift he had given her many years ago, the nostalgia tearing a piece of him away.

_You've helped me more than you can know.  
><em>_You've been there for me whenever I wanted it.  
><em>_You've been there for me whenever I didn't.  
><em>_You've saved my life when others would harm me.  
><em>_You've saved my life when I would harm myself.  
><em>_You've given me attention when I didn't deserve it.  
><em>_You've given me hope when I didn't have any.  
><em>_You mean everything to me and that's why I have to do this.  
><em>_Even if the whole world were to fall apart, it would kill me to see you get hurt.  
><em>_I've never asked you for anything, but I need you to do something for me.  
><em>_Don't be trapped trying to make me open up for the rest of your life.  
><em>_Live for yourself and that others will live too.  
><em>_This is my gift to you.  
><em>_It's all I can give._

_Raven_

It was obvious that a great amount of care went into writing it and every word hit Beastboy with increasing force. However meaningful and insightful the message was, there was no way that it could fill the abyss that was ripped into his very existence.

Every single thing in his life had been taken away. His family, his childhood, his dignity, his teammates, and now his love. He did what he always did when everything that he cared about was lost. He cried.

Beastboy sat with a sorrowful Starfire at his side, leaning against each other for support. The tears that fell through the air glinted with the light of the Lazarus Pit, still active in the background. The world had teetered close to the edge of oblivion, all because of an eclipse and the chains that were borne from it.

"Please do not fret, Friend Gar. Malchior is gone and the world is saved. There is nothing left for us to do." Starfire's voice was soft with a hint of sadness and her face held a modicum of understanding.

He wiped his tears away, smearing his face with earth and blood. "No." He said for the final time. He opened his eyes to see his doppelganger, its teeth gleaming with a new purpose and its eyes burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. His claws grew more fierce and he slowly gouged out lines in the dirt. "I will sunder the dimensions to find her again."

**(Elsewhere)**

A source of indescribable heat. A sound of screams in the distance. The feel of rock that had been long since scorched by fire and ice. The raging emotions of thousands of tortured souls. The smell of charred flesh and fresh blood. An increase in pressure so intense it felt like the gravity was raised tenfold. A part of her dreaded the surroundings, but another part of her knew it felt familiar. To her, this was the home she hoped never to go to.

She opened her eyes to take in the sight she already knew from her most terrible nightmares. A desolate valley of hellfire and brimstone. A swarm of demons and lost souls writhing together in agony. A cacophony of evil chanting. Four blood-red eyes that watched all from on high.

She sank to her knees as the consequences of her actions set in. A single tear fell down her alabaster skin as she whispered the only words that mattered to her.

"One... Two... Three..."

**Fin**

**Amenson out.**


End file.
